FREMONT, SANTA CLARA, SAN JOSE, CA; OXFORDSHIRE, UK, March 3, 2003. iolon Inc., Intel Corporation, Bookham Technology and Santur Corporation have joined forces to form a Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for tunable lasers. The MSA is based on the Optical Internetworking Forum's (OIF) tunable laser implementation agreement (IA) that was published in November, 2002. The OIF IA is supported by more than 20 companies, including system vendors, component manufacturers and chip vendors.
The MSA gives system vendors increased flexibility by enabling them to source components from more than one tunable laser manufacturer. It also allows companies to streamline product designs by setting standards for functionality, size and optical performance, resulting in faster time to market for tunable laser products and solutions.
"The OIF implementation agreement was an industry milestone in terms of uniting companies involved in different parts of tunable device development, from chip manufacturers to system vendors," said Saeid Aramideh, Vice President of Product Management at iolon Inc. "This MSA takes the implementation agreement to the next level. It moves the entire industry one step forward towards fully compatible tunable laser modules, and ultimately tunable integrated assemblies and tunable transponders."
"The formation of this MSA signifies a major shift toward uniting the entire industry around advancing the OIF implementation agreement," said Gary Wiseman, director of marketing, Optical Platforms Division, Intel Corp. "This benefits both the companies working on tunable laser technology, but also the carriers and equipment OEMs who will implement DWDM solutions in the near future."
"We support the advancement of tunable laser technology in the market and see this Multi-Source Agreement as an important step towards achieving wide acceptance of tunability by customers." said Steve Turley, Chief Commercial Officer for Bookham. "The MSA builds on the OIF implementation agreement and will lead the way for integrated tunable laser component developments in the future."
"Our MSA coalition builds on the foundation that was set by the OIF implementation agreement late last year. It gives system vendors the capability to work with various sources, which will help drive the implementation of next-generation tunable networks," said Bardia Pezeshki, Chief Technology Officer at Santur Corporation.
Technical specifications and a full list of all companies participating in the MSA can be viewed at www.tunablelasermsa.com .
Laser Focus World