MCI invests in four-channel, bidirectional multiplexers
Optical Corporation of America (OCA; Marlborough, MA) signed a $7.8 million contract with MCI to supply the company with four-channel dense wavelength-division multiplexers (DWDMs). The Quad DWDMs transmit two signals in each direction over the same fiber, quadrupling the fiber`s transmission capacity. A patented MicroPlasma coating process creates environmentally stable filters that separate and isolate the light channels. More than 1000 of the Quad-DWDMs, which are temperature and humidity stable and require no electricity to function, have been installed by MCI with no rejects or field failures (see related article on p. 111).