12 March 1998: Corning Incorporated announced it has developed a new optical amplifier for telecommunication networks that can boost as much as 80 wavelengths of light through a single optical fibre. …
12 March 1998: Corning Incorporated announced it has developed a new optical amplifier for telecommunication networks that can boost as much as 80 wavelengths of light through a single optical fibre. In contrast, the most advanced transmission systems used today are capable of carrying just 16 wavelengths. Corning said that it will supply its FiberGain amplifiers to Lucent Technologies for use in its WaveStar optical networking system. The amplifier, which was recently introduced at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference (OFC) in San Jose, California, is designed with advanced operational features to accommodate a wide variety of system-link conditions. These features include an intelligent on-board amplifier control that can rapidly increase or decrease power automatically, while still maintaining a flat signal over more than 32 (manometers??)nanometers of the erbium passband. In addition, the control features of the amplifier enable the WaveStar system to be self-regulating, offering a cost savings and performance advantage to end-users. “The WaveStar OLS 400G and its many components represent state-of-the-art technology that leapfrog the offerings of our competitors,” said Scott Grout, Lucent“s vice president of product marketing and management for optical networking. The company said Lucent“s WaveStar optical networking system provides up to 400 gigabits per second over a single fibre, five times that of today“s fibre-optic systems. Corning“s total revenues in 1997 were US$ 4.1 billion.