Who Makes What: 40- & 100-Gbit/s Systems

Light Reading was founded for technologies like 40- and 100-Gbit/s (hereafter 40/100G) systems – cutting-edge optical network kit, oodles of gung-ho vendors of all shapes and sizes, arcane technological disputes, and the promises of billions of bucks just over the horizon (and for the X-rated stuff, see Contentinople).

40/100G transmission embraces a range of technologies and has potentially wide applications – from transoceanic networks, through the metro, and on into equipment backplanes – so its long-term impact is likely to be considerable and widespread. For this Who Makes What, however, the main interest is taken to be telecom network transport applications, which means essentially:

• 40G Sonet/SDH (OC768/STM256) and the higher-rate ITU-T OTNs (OTU3/OTU4)
• Longer-range versions of 40 and 100G Ethernet.

For more on 40/100G in equipment practice, especially ATCA, etc., see 40- & 100-Gbit/s Technology & Components.

The list of operators and carriers now moving to, or with, some 40G implementations now contains some big names (see Table 1 for some recent examples reported by Light Reading), although not everyone is convinced by the 40G argument (see Page 4: Sticky Questions). In contrast, 100G is still largely experimental or trialing, but implementations are vaguely beginning, as witnessed by financial exchange NYSE Euronext and Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq: CIEN) announcing, in March 2009, plans to implement 100G networks to support NYSE Euronext’s new data centers in the greater New York and London metropolitan areas during 2010.

Table 1: Recent 40G Network Implementations Reported by Light Reading

Carrier/operator	Location/date	Implementation
AboveNet	USa/May 2009	40G metro service in 15 US markets
Bell Canada	Canada/September 2008	40G optical backbone network
China Telecom	China/August 2008	40G transmission network
China Unicom	China/December 2008	40G WDM transport network
Deutsche Telekom	Germany/July 2008	40G DWDM core network
KPN	Belgium/September 2008	40G upgrade to optical backbone network
Lightower Fiber Networks	USA/ June 2009	40G bandwidth service for carriers and large enterprises
Mediacom Communications	USA/December 2008	40G upgrade to regional network supporting triple-play services
Neos	UK/March 2008	40G network for delivery of bandwidth-on-demand for UK businesses
Rascom	Russia/July 2008	40G upgrade to long-haul optical network
RoEduNet Educational Network	Romania/November 2008	40G-ready network linking national educational and research facilities
Southern Cross Cables	USA/June 2008	40G upgrade to 10G terrestrial feeder to transpacific cable network
Sprint Nextel	USA/November 2008	40G transatlantic transmission trial
SURF Telecoms	UK/December 2008	40G upgrade to regional optical data network
Telefónica	Spain/November 2008	40G transmission network
Telus	Canada/December 2008	40G network upgrade
TransTeleCom	Russia/May 2008	40G commercial transport network connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg
Triton Telecom	Caribbean/October 2008	40G system linking Florida, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica
Virgin Media	UK/May 2008	Lights 40G path
Source: Light Reading, 2009

40G is also hitting the data center. In late 2008, for example, Mellanox Technologies and Dell claimed the world’s first demonstration of 40G InfiniBand interconnect technology for blade servers by using Mellanox’s recently launched InfiniBand ConnectX Adapter.

The combination of hi-tech R&D, many smaller specialist companies, market evolution, and a global recession must make 40/100G one of the few current bright spots for M&A types, judging by the number of mergers, acquisitions, and similar announcements made over the last year or so. Examples are:

• Aegis Lightwave Inc. acquired CardinalPoint Optics (April 2008 – optical channel monitors) and AOFR (March 2009 – fused fiber couplers)
• Avanex and Bookham merged (April 2009 – optical components, modules and subsystems) to form Oclaro Inc. (Nasdaq: OCLR)
• EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. (Nasdaq: EXFO; Toronto: EXF) acquired PicoSolve (February 2009 – optical sampling oscilloscopes for 40G and 100G R&D)
• Finisar Corp. (Nasdaq: FNSR) merged with Optium (August 2008)
• GigOptix Inc. (OTC: GGOX) acquired Helix Semiconductors (January 2008 – optical physical-media-dependent ICs) and merged with Lumera (March 2008 – modulator technology)
• Opnext Inc. (Nasdaq: OPXT) acquired StrataLight Communications (January 2009 – 40/100G products and subsystems)
• Thorlabs Inc. acquired the assets of Covega (March 2009 – indium-phosphide and lithium-niobate components and modules) from owners Gemfire Corp. . Previously Gemfire and Covega had merged (February 2008).

This list emphasizes the point, expanded on later, that optical devices and modules are crucial to 40/100G, and are where a lot of current product development is taking place.

We have tried to make the listing as complete as possible in the time available for its compilation, but this is where you, Dear Reader, can help with any companies that have been missed.

If any companies need to be added, or any information corrected, please bring it to our attention either on the message board below or by sending an email to editors@lightreading.com or to hills@lightreading.com, placing "Who Makes What: 40- & 100-Gbit/s Systems" in the subject line.

Here’s a hyperlinked contents list:

• Page 2: Environment & Technology
• Page 3: Vendors & Product Categories
• Page 4: Sticky Questions
• Page 5: Systems
• Page 6: Devices, Modules & Subsystems I
• Page 7: Devices, Modules & Subsystems II
• Page 8: Test & Measurement

— Tim Hills is a freelance telecommunications writer and journalist. He's a regular author of Light Reading reports.

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