Telcordia Licenses Optical Patent

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Telcordia® Technologies, Inc., a global provider of telecommunications software and services, today announced it has issued a license for U.S. Patent No. 4,835,763, Survivable Ring Network to NEC USA, Inc. (NEC) and Zhone Technologies, Inc. The survivable ring technology, used to implement Unidirectional Path Switched Rings (UPSR), is part of Telcordia's portfolio of Optical Networking patents. It was created by Telcordia's Applied Research organization, which consists of research specialists with technical expertise spanning from software engineering to optical networking. The applied research organization has helped develop Telcordia's extensive patent portfolio in numerous areas, including SONET, DSL, wireless and optical networking.

The joint agreement states that all NEC optical products are licensed for the life of the patent and permits Zhone, the successor of NEC's eLUMINANT division, to manufacture and sell its VISTA® intelligent access multiplexer with embedded UPSR technology. This unique next-generation SONET broadband access system is specifically designed for both access network and local loop transmission of any TDM, IP, frame relay or ATM traffic.

"Telcordia's decision to license its Survivable Ring Network patent further demonstrates the strength of our technological leadership and innovation in an ever-evolving industry," said Steve Joroff, director of patent licensing, Telcordia Technologies. "Our licensing agreement will help enable Zhone to further market its VISTA® product for optical networks that can offer service providers more efficient communication solutions for its customers."

Telcordia Technologies Inc.