IP: SEE THE LIGHT BOUNCE: Edupage, March 26, 2001

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>The migration from the current generation of switches to
>all-optical ones will eliminate congestion that results from
>signal conversion. It will also improve network manageability,
>increase capacity, speed provisioning, and facilitate the
>introduction of a variety of new services, according to
>supporters. The technology is the most cost-effective way to
>construct switches, said Gary Austin, general manager of the
>optical switching unit at Lucent Technologies. Lucent has
>invested in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), which are the
>basis for its WaveStar LambdaRouter. Lucent started trials of
>its WaveStar LambdaRouter last summer over a Global Crossing
>network. In addition, Agilent Technologies used the thermal
>ink-jet patents it acquired from its parent company,
>Hewlett-Packard, and partnered with Alcatel to use them for a
>photonic switching technology. The Yankee Group expects MEMS
>technology to grab a 65 percent share of the all-optical switch
>market and for bubble technology to take 20 percent.
>(Interactive Week, 19 March 2001)



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