3:00 AM -- AMSTERDAM -- ECOC 2012 -- Has Intune Networks 's time finally come?

It's just possible. The packet-optical systems vendor has been here in the Dutch capital this week, talking about its involvement in the European Commission-funded MAINS (Metro Architectures Enabling Sub-Wavelengths) project that has just completed its two-year duration. (More on that to follow in the coming days, but for background see Intune Joins Telefonica Project.)

It's also been showing off its commercial product, which is now called the iVX8000, and talking, though not too loudly, about a Tier 1 customer that has ordered its system. The team members at ECOC were practically biting their hands off, wanting to tell all, but are letting the customer announce the deployment and the application details (the company is pitching its platform primarily at operators needing to distribute video traffic and to connect data centers).

Intune needs that customer reference. It has about 130 staff and only one deployment to date, as part of the Irish government's Exemplar test network project. The Tier 1 customer will be its telco breakthrough. (See Exemplar Trial Network Unveiled.)

But the company is looking more settled after a period of uncertainty. It gained more funding late last year and, a few months back, appointed former Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN) man Arthur Smith as its new COO. (See Euronews: Ciena Lands 100G Deal in UK and Intune Banks €17.5M.)

And now it's in partnership discussions that could result in resale or even OEM deals.

Could this be the year in which Intune finally breaks into the big time? That tempting Tier 1 announcement could be the tipping point.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading