Monday, July 16: XO Communications introduced a new national, dedicated private line solution that will allow businesses to share data between multiple locations.

The new XO Multipoint Intercity service, which is aimed at multi-location enterprises and carrier customers that use DS-1 circuits, connects up to twenty-eight locations across the 48 contiguous U.S. at a flat rate.

The service can be combined with XO's existing metro capabilities.

Back to Top    

Monday, July 9: Polaris Networks, a start-up based in San Jose, California, unveiled its OMX Optical Transport Switch designed to combine the functions of a wideband, broadband and super-broadband digital cross-connect system (DCS) with SONET add/drop-based transport.

Polaris will use a programmable hybrid switch fabric based on its own ASICs to enable carriers to dynamically adjust their protocol mix to carry multiple types of traffic on a single physical line. The architecture scales from 240 Gbps, fully-redundant, non-blocking switching capacity to 2 Tbps, with switching and grooming granularity extending from VT1.5/DS1 to STS-Nc levels.

The platform will feature a range of interfaces that include DS3/EC1, OC3 to OC-192 and Gigabit Ethernet. Polaris is also developing a GMPLS-based control plane to automate end-to-end provisioning of services. Its element management system will perform fault and performance monitoring, ensuring the security of the network. Four carriers have committed to trials so far, including an RBOC and a major IXC.

Polaris has raised $74 million since its incorporation in June 2000. The Polaris Network is led by Ray Kao, previously a founder of TransMedia Communications.

Back to Top    

Back to Top    

Monday, June 25: Tropic Networks, a start-up based in Ottawa, Canada, closed US$20 million in third round funding to support is metro DWDM solutions.

The company has recently streamlined its business strategy to focus on the metro optical market. Tropic’s TRX-24000 platform, which was introduced last October, takes ITU grid wavelengths from an existing SONET/SDH ADM, switch or router and transports it across multiple rings while staying in the optical domain.

The platform has a range of 600 km. Tropic also features a Wavelength Tracker technology that monitors and provides failure detection functionality to manage the signal as it travels throughout the network. The five existing investment firms that participated in the company's third round of financing were Celtic House Venture Partners (lead investor), Goldman Sachs' Private Equity Group, Kodiak Venture Partners, Crescendo Ventures and the Teachers' Merchant Bank, the private equity arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

Back to Top    

Monday, June 18: ADC has decided to exit its optical components business and will sell or close these product lines. ADC will also cease all development and marketing of its Avidia DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) and instead focus its efforts on a next generation access gateway.

ADC will remain focused on its HDSL products that are used to deliver business E1/T1 services. Regarding the decision to exit the optical components business, the company has retained Lehman Brothers to help with the sales effort. ADC currently supplies passive and active optical components, including tunable and pump lasers. The optical component business has facilities in Canberra, Australia; Jarfalla, Sweden; and Vadnais Heights and Shakopee, Minnesota.

In November 2001, ADC announced the sale of its radio frequency (RF) filtration equipment product line to REMEC, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of high frequency subsystems used in the transmission of integrated voice, video and data traffic over wireless communications networks. The sale included approximately 600 employees in Finland. ADC has also sold its photonics operation in Denmark that manufactures Phase masks used in the manufacture of optical components and subsystems. The sale includes ADC facilities in Denmark and approximately 70 people.

Back to Top