[Lucent Announces Revolutionary New Fiber for Long Distance Networks; Viatel Signs On as First Customer]
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 1998--Lucent Technologies today announced a new optical fiber, called TrueWave(R) RS Fiber, that leapfrogs the capabilities of any fiber in the long distance marketplace today.
In addition, Lucent said it has reached an agreement with Viatel Inc., a global telecommunications service provider, to become the first provider to use Lucent's new TrueWave RS Fiber in its network.
Lucent said its TrueWave RS (Reduced Slope) represents the next-generation in fiber optics giving long distance providers increased capacity and a future-proof solution for emerging high-speed DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) systems.
"TrueWave RS Fiber is the world's first single mode fiber specifically designed for optically amplified, high-powered long distance networks operating in both the third and fourth windows of the fiber spectrum," said Bill Spivey, president of Lucent's Network Product Group. "This exciting new fiber assures long distance network providers that the infrastructure they install today will not only meet today's transmission needs more efficiently, but will also support tomorrow's applications and bandwidth requirements."
Viatel will use Lucent's new TrueWave RS Fiber in a Pan-European terrestrial network planned for turn-up in the first quarter of 1999. Viatel's Circe Pan-European Network, built as a high capacity, self-healing long distance network utilizing advanced SDH and DWDM technologies, is expected to total more than 3600 route kilometers and will connect Antwerp, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, London, Nancy, Paris, Rotterdam, Strasbourg and Stuttgart.
"We are excited that Viatel will be able to utilize the advanced capabilities of Lucent's TrueWave RS Fiber to support the Circe Pan-European Network," said Michael Mahoney, CEO and president of Viatel. "TrueWave RS Fiber will provide us with extended capacity and will allow us to take full advantage of DWDM technology to meet the needs of our growing customer base throughout Western Europe."
Designed by Bell Laboratories, Lucent's TrueWave RS greatly reduces signal spreading in the 1530 to 1620 nm wavelength ranges, optimizing the use of additional wavelengths previously unused in the fiber spectrum. The new fiber is manufactured at the company's Atlanta Works in Norcross, Ga., and A/S Denmark in Coppenhagen; while the cable is manufactured at Lucent Technologies Fibre Cable (Augsburg) GmbH.
"Where early fiber optic networks were limited by signal loss, new long distance networks need carefully managed dispersion," Spivey said. "Lucent's new fiber provides consistent amounts of dispersion (the property of optical fiber that causes signals to spread out and interfere with each other) throughout a broader operating range."
TrueWave RS Fiber, part of Lucent's award-winning TrueWave product line, improves network performance by reducing the need for complex dispersion management equipment.
"Early DWDM systems provided eight or sixteen optical channels," said Bob Mohalley, vice president of marketing and management for Lucent's Network Products Group. "Recent advances in amplifier design, such as Lucent's WaveStar(TM) Optical Line System 400G, have expanded the operating region, providing over 40 channels operating at 10 Gb/s per channel. Fiber requirements have had to change to support these advances, especially the requirement for the amount and uniformity of chromatic dispersion across multiple wavelengths."
Today's optically amplified DWDM systems operate in the 1530 to 1565 nm wavelength range, or third window in the fiber spectrum. Emerging systems will use the third and fourth window (1565 to 1620 nm) to increase network capacity and optimize performance. TrueWave RS optimizes performance in both wavelength ranges. One of the most important parameters in fiber designed for ultra high-speed networks is dispersion slope.
"TrueWave RS Fiber reduces slope by 35 percent over most competitive fibers on the market today and by as much as 55 percent over large effective area fibers," added Mohalley.
Lucent invented nonzero-dispersion fiber, which is specifically designed to overcome pulse broadening and signal mixing in high power optically amplified DWDM systems over long distances. With more than 70 percent of the installed NZDF base, Lucent remains the industry leader in providing fiber for high capacity networks and has many world class customers. Among them are: AT&T, Qwest, MCI, ICG, Time Warner, GTE, FiveCom, Frontier Communications, Metromedia Fiber Network, and most recently, Alltel.
Since introducing TrueWave Fiber in 1993, Lucent has sold millions of kilometers of TrueWave Fiber to customers around the world.
Today's announcement concerning Lucent's new TW-RS fiber follows the company's announcement last week about a revolutionary new optical fiber, called AllWave TM Fiber, which is the industry's first fiber specifically designed for metropolitan networks.
Lucent Technologies, the largest vertically integrated fiber-optic cable manufacturer in the world, has a long list of "firsts" in optical fiber technology. Bell Labs is responsible for such innovative fiber-optic technology inventions as the laser in 1958. In 1978, Lucent was the first to offer optical fiber ribbons,
now sold as part of its AccuRibbon product line. The company also installed the industry's first long haul fiber optic system connecting Washington to Boston in the 1970's. |
