October 17, 2006, Milpitas, CA--JDSU announced the acquisition of the technology and patent portfolio of Metconnex (Ottawa, ON, Canada), a developer of wavelength selective switch (WSS) modules. JDSU did not acquire any of Metconnex's business operations. Under the terms of the agreement, JDSU will acquire Metconnex's intellectual property (IP) for $2.5 million.
In connection with the acquisition and the liquidation of Metconnex, both parties agreed to dismiss all pending litigation including litigation commenced by JDSU against Metconnex and certain of its officers and employees for alleged violation of JDSU patent and intellectual property rights.
"We will continue to use our extensive portfolio of patents and proprietary technology to enable broadband and optical innovation in all parts of the world," said Matthew Fawcett, general counsel for JDSU. WSS technology is central to JDSU's portfolio of reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs), which are increasingly used by carriers to enable the rapid, cost-effective roll out of triple-play services.
"As the proliferation of triple-play services and rich media content continues to drive bandwidth demand, most service providers are future-proofing their networks by deploying, or planning to deploy, meshed DWDM architectures," said Michael Howard, principal analyst and founder, Infonetics Research. "ROADMs provide the flexibility for service providers to cost-effectively deploy and manage their agile optical networks. The benefits provided by a mesh architecture include better economic efficiencies for carriers, reliability, and the flexibility to ramp services to meet growing consumer demand."
For more information, visit www.jdsu.com.