Oclaro Preps for ECOC

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR), a tier-one provider and innovator of optical communications and laser solutions, today announced the industry’s first 8-port flexible grid Optical Channel Monitor (OCM). The new Oclaro OCM is designed to deliver the flexibility, speed and accuracy needed for the next generation ROADM (reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer) architectures being implemented to support 100 Gbps and higher data rate channels. The Oclaro OCM can measure the channel power and frequency of 8 DWDM input ports and incorporates advanced features such as port or channel dwelling and prioritization through advanced embedded intelligence and signal processing capabilities.

To meet the growing demands for higher bandwidth at lower per-bit transmission costs, service providers are transitioning to highly meshed network topologies with multi-degree colorless, directionless, contentionless and flexible-grid ROADMs and coherent high bit-rate transceivers. Advanced OCMs with embedded intelligence features are critical elements for these optical networks because they not only provide accurate channel power and frequency measurements for channel control and system optimization, but they also enable monitoring of add/drop routing fidelity, validation and correct control of alien channels, as well as provide early-warning diagnostics with features such as port and channel dwelling. The new Oclaro OCM provides this functionality and enables customers to meet the demanding space and power requirements in the central office by replacing switch/single-port OCM combinations or multiple 4-port modules with a single OCM. This frees up valuable space on the line card and enables customers to add more functionality and product differentiation while retaining a small form factor.

“Oclaro’s new OCM represents a significant milestone towards the development of more intelligent optical networks that are capable of managing advanced future signal formats at 100 Gbps and above,” said Richard Smart, General Manager of Optical Networks Solutions BU at Oclaro, Inc. “This announcement also demonstrates Oclaro’s proven ability to provide highly integrated, intelligent products that enable customers to build smarter network solutions and bring innovative network features to market.”

In a separate release:SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR), a tier-one provider and innovator of optical communications and laser solutions, today announced that it is entering volume production for its highly-integrated 100 Gbps PM-QPSK MSA transceiver module, the OTM-100, to support ramping customer demand. This marks another major milestone for the Oclaro 100 Gbps coherent MSA transceiver module, which recently demonstrated a record-breaking 3,300km transmission distance on SURFnet’s DWDM fiber infrastructure in Europe. Oclaro will be showcasing the OTM-100 module along with its complete line of 100 Gbps components and other high bit rate solutions at the upcoming ECOC Exhibition (Oclaro stand #444) from September 17-19 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Oclaro has already shipped more than a hundred OTM-100 coherent MSA transceiver modules for system integration and testing with customers located throughout the US, Europe and Asia. This highlights the growing momentum towards volume deployment of 100 Gbps in optical networks and validates Oclaro’s strong position in the market. According to Infonetics Research, this rapidly expanding market segment is projected to grow more than 10-fold over the next three years. An unrelenting growth in bandwidth usage from consumers as well as enterprises is driving the need for higher-bandwidth wavelengths in optical networks. High bit rate coherent solutions, such as the 100 Gbps OTM-100 transceiver, offer capital as well as operational efficiencies through, for example, plug-and-play adaption to the fiber infrastructure characteristics and native transport of high bit rate signals.

“The 100 Gbps transceiver market has really heated up in 2012 with vendors delivering the price and performance that will enable 100 Gbps networks to become a viable volume market opportunity,” said Andrew Schmitt, Directing Analyst, Optical from Infonetics Research. “We expect annual deployments of 100G wavelengths to at least double and possibly triple in 2013, and the component companies that are best positioned to drive this market are vertically integrated suppliers that have the product breadth and manufacturing strength.”

Oclaro Inc. (Nasdaq: OCLR)