PSI chooses CeramOptec for NASA projects
Physical Sciences (PSI; San Ramon, CA) was awarded two $600,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts valued at $600,000 each by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; Washington, DC) for fiber-optic systems that will ensure an oxygen supply for manned Moon bases, as well as enable the eventual ability to grow plants in space. System integrator PSI is buying specialty optical fibers from CeramOptec (East Longmeadow, MA) for the project. According to Kevin Bakhshpour, director of sales at CeramOptec, CeramOptec was chosen as the fiber vendor because it is 100% vertically integrated and is the only company that could make the product that PSI needed with a numerical aperture of 0.48 and all the “custom” specifications that were requested.
Telecom merger creates components giant
Finisar (Sunnyvale, CA) and Optium (Horsham, PA) entered into a definitive agreement under which the two companies will be combined through an all-stock merger, creating what they say is the world’s largest supplier of optical components, modules, and subsystems for the communications industry. The combined company will leverage Finisar’s leadership position in the storage and data networking industries and Optium’s leadership position in the telecommunications and CATV industries. Based on the 12 months through January 2008 reported by each company, the combined company had revenues of approximately $554 million. The combined company will have approximately 5000 employees worldwide.
Verizon addresses urban FTTP installations
Speaking at FiberFest New England 2008 (www.nefc.com), Chris Parker, engineering manager, Greater Boston Outside Plant at Verizon (Boston, MA), explained that Verizon focused its initial fiber-to-the-premises fiber-optic system (FiOS) installations on suburban communities, skipping urban areas. To address urban difficulties in access to properties, measurement challenges, density of customers, and the multitude of dropwires, Verizon developed the Verizon Advanced Termination System, a multiport box specifically designed for densely populated areas, which offers drop-in and plug-in ports in a smaller box that serves more customers.
Infinera gets go-ahead for Chinese installations
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information (MII) issued a Network Access License to Infinera (Sunnyvale, CA) for the Infinera DTN optical networking platform. Obtaining this certification is necessary for the future deployment of the Infinera DTN by China’s public sector and private sector telecommunications carriers. Over several months, Infinera passed all required tests and criteria, successfully demonstrating to MII the features and capabilities of the DTN. In early 2008, Infinera also opened a Beijing office to support customer deployments in China.
Sterlite reports 98% growth in 2008
Sterlite Technologies (Pune, India), a manufacturer of optical fiber and telecommunications products, reports full-year FY08 profits reached $25 million (up 98% over FY07 profits) on revenues of $421 million for. Its optical fiber and fiber-optic cables facilities are running at nearly 100% capacity and its expansion from 4-million- to 6-million-kilometer capability was commissioned during the year and is on schedule to expand to 12-million-kilometer capacity by June 2009. “We strongly believe that Sterlite Technologies has the right leadership, the right team, and the right technology to make an indelible mark not only in India, but also globally,” said Sterlite director and CEO Anand Agarwal. “We are well on our way to achieving net revenues of $1 billion by 2010.”
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Also in the news . . .Also in the news . . .
Optical fiber and fiber-based components manufacturer Fiberguide Industries (Stirling, NJ) was formally recognized by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL; Livermore, CA) for its participation in and contributions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) program. . . . Northrop Grumman was awarded a $46.1 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Optical RF Communications Adjunct project, an all-weather, jam-resistant, high-bandwidth that will use both free-space optical and radio-frequency links. . . . Information Gatekeepers (Boston, MA) released its third market analysis report on reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) entitled The Edge ROADM Revolution, completing its trilogy on the subject. . . . Zayo Bandwidth, a provider of fiber-based bandwidth solutions, selected Infinera for its regional network in the Northeastern U.S. that gives Zayo contiguous service from Chicago to New York and Washington, DC.