Quartet Establishes Tunable MSA

FREMONT, SANTA CLARA, and SAN JOSE, Calif. and OXFORDSHIRE, U.K. -- iolon Inc., Intel Corporation, Bookham Technology and Santur Corporation have joined forces to form a Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for tunable lasers. The MSA is based on the Optical Internetworking Forum's (OIF) tunable laser implementation agreement (IA) that was published in November, 2002. The OIF IA is supported by more than 20 companies, including system vendors, component manufacturers and chip vendors. The MSA gives system vendors increased flexibility by enabling them to source components from more than one tunable laser manufacturer. It also allows companies to streamline product designs by setting standards for functionality, size and optical performance, resulting in faster time to market for tunable laser products and solutions. "The OIF implementation agreement was an industry milestone in terms of uniting companies involved in different parts of tunable device development, from chip manufacturers to system vendors," said Saeid Aramideh, Vice President of Product Management at iolon Inc. "This MSA takes the implementation agreement to the next level. It moves the entire industry one step forward towards fully compatible tunable laser modules, and ultimately tunable integrated assemblies and tunable transponders." Iolon Inc. Intel Corp.Bookham Technology plc Santur Corp.