The global consumption of photonic switches and switch matrices used in fiberoptic communication networks will rise from $94 million in 1996 to $3.2 billion in 2006, according to the Photonic Switch & Matrix Technology and Market Global Forecast. The study, performed by ElectroniCast Corp. (San Mateo, CA), predicts growth will be dominated by complex switch matrix systems. . . . Optelecom Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD) received a $3 million contract from Raytheon Co. (Lexington, MA) to supply active optical-fiber systems in support of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, or STARS—a joint Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense program. . . . The National Institutes of Health awarded Mosaic Technology (Boston, MA) a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant, worth $66,000, to commercialize its second-generation, fiberoptic-based DNA sensor. . . . WorldCom Inc. (Jacksonville, MS) contracted Alcatel (Paris, France) to build a fiberoptic network linking London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Paris. The network is expected to be complete by the beginning of 1998. . . . Correction: The last item in the Nov. 1997 Fiberoptics Industry Report should have read: Corning Inc. (Corning, NY) claims it set a new industry standard for core/clad concentricity by tightening its specifications 25%, from 0.8 to 0.6 µm, for its single-mode optical-fiber product line.
Laurie Ann Peach | Assistant Editor, Technology
Laurie Ann Peach was Assistant Editor, Technology at Laser Focus World.