Xtera Transmits in S-Band

ALLEN, Texas -- Xtera Communications Inc. (www.xtera.com ), the long-haul and ultra-long-haul optical networking company that completed its second round of financing for $110 million in January 2001, today announced the use of discrete Raman technology to demonstrate the world's first multi-band transmission in the S-band (1485 to 1525 nm) and C-band (1530 to 1565 nm). Operating over 5 spans of 25dB on more than 450 km of SMF-28 fiber this demonstration shows that Raman amplification is a viable alternative to today's EDFA based systems. Demonstrating live at the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC) 2001 in Anaheim, California from March 19 through 21 at Booth 3157, Xtera's first product, the eXpander incorporates specially designed components built and marketed by Lightwave Microsystems and Oplink Communications.

Xtera's eXpander product demonstration uses Lightwave Microsystems planar lightwave circuits and Oplink Communications fiber optic components to deliver the complete solution, making S-band a reality for backbone optical networks. This demonstration is a technological and commercial breakthrough, exemplifying the ability of the Xtera eXpander to increase usable bandwidth of optical networks by allowing fiber to carry an additional 96 channels of 10 Gb/s at 50 GHZ spacing in the previously untapped S-band.

"Xtera's patented technology, along with leading edge components from Lightwave Microsystems and Oplink, means S-band transmission will come into the mainstream," according to Xtera Chief Operating Officer, Carl DeWilde. "This demonstration shows the interoperability of S-band traffic with C-band systems, thus allowing seamless upgrades beyond initially deployed systems. In combination, the S-band and C-band will deliver the lowest cost per gigabit per kilometer for carriers."

http://www.xtera.com