Sycamore + NSN Optical = Coriant

News Analysis Craig Matsumoto, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading 2/26/2013

The combined optical networking businesses of Nokia Siemens Networks and Sycamore Networks Inc. have an official name: Coriant. Both businesses were recently acquired by Marlin Equity Partners, for the sum of US$18.75 million (Sycamore) plus who-knows-how-much (Nokia Siemens). Coriant is apparently set to explain its optical plans in March, at OFC/NFOEC. The company has put up the obligatory, minimalist website -- www.coriant.com -- to announce that it's about to announce things like a better website. It also includes an exciting OFC/NFOEC countdown. [Ed. note: The Mayans would be so proud.] The Coriant name has also started showing up on LinkedIn. The big question hanging over Coriant like a cormorant (or maybe a Cormorant) is the continued bleakness in the optical infrastructure business. Even though a new optical cycle is gearing up, margins are still relatively low, and the consensus remains that too many companies are chasing after too few carrier customers. Maybe that can change with the combination of a new generation of coherent 100Gbit/s buildouts and the mania for large data centers. Maybe that's why Marlin sees potential gold in optical networking. For more

— Craig Matsumoto, Managing Editor, Light Reading