OnFiber Buys the Competition's Assets
Metro optical connectivity provider OnFiber Communications Inc. has acquired a majority of the network assets and customer contracts of Telseon Inc., a leading competitor. The acquisition will expand OnFiber's network from 10 major U.S. metros to 12, adding Denver and Miami. The acquisition also increases the total value of OnFiber's customer contracts by 40 percent, to $39 million. (more)

Teem Photonics Acquires Technology
Teem Photonics, a provider of ultra-compact photonic solutions for high bandwidth optical networks as well as a developer of Erbium doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWA), said it has acquired the technology of former competitor Northstar Photonics in an undisclosed deal. "The acquisition will accelerate Teem?s EDWA development program and significantly reduce time-to-market," says Antoine Kevorkian, Teem Photonics CEO. "Moreover, this move further increases our competitiveness in optical amplifiers." (more - NOTE: .PDF file)

On Eve of Decision, Global Crossing Still Selling
While reports show the management of the 'carrier's carrier' might still be in question, the good news is customers are still signing on to Global Crossing for backbone services. (more)

Venture Capital News

JGKB Photonics Gains $4.3M
JGKB Photonics, which supplies electro optical modulators, has closed a $4.3-million Series A round of financing, according to VentureWire. No other details were immediately available.

Product News

LightConnect Rolls Out FVOA
LightConnect, a supplier of dynamic components and modules for optical networks, expands its portfolio of MEMS-based Variable Optical Attenuators with its FVOA (Fast Variable Optical Attenuator) Series 4000. Designed for preventing system damage, the FVOA Series 4000 is ideally suited for receiver protection, or for use as a safety switch during transmitter turn-up until the laser stabilizes. Other applications for the device include single and multi-channel power control, as well as equalization and optical add/drop. LightConnect's FVOA Series 4000 has passed all the stringent Telcordia GR-1209 and GR-1221 tests.

This latest addition to LightConnect's FVOA family of products is able to block the transmission of light when no voltage is applied and reduce the amount of attenuation as the applied voltage is increased. It features the same market-leading levels of performance and reliability as the FVOA Series 2000, including low insertion loss, polarization dependent loss and spectral dependence of attenuation.

Tektronix Rolls Out New Optical Products
Optical test and measurement solutions developer Tektronix Inc. (Quote) announced the latest in its series of optical products that enable optical equipment manufacturers to reduce the cost and complexity of their test operations. The new Tektronix OSW 8000 Series Optical Switching Modules allow optical equipment designers and manufacturing test engineers to efficiently use these tools to reduce costs without compromising quality or productivity of the tests.

The new Tektronix OSW 8000 Series Optical Switching Modules allow systems and component designers and manufacturing test engineers to selectively distribute optical signals among diverse sources and destinations. With this capability, users can share instruments such as transmitters and analyzers among multiple optical ports, effectively cutting costs.

Four modules make up the OSW 8000 Series, including bi-directional switching configurations ranging from 1 x 2 (one input, two outputs) to 1 x 8 (one input, eight outputs). The modules are hardware- and software-compatible with Tektronix' PRO 8000 laser source platform. These new products are the first to result from Tektronix' March 2002 acquisition of Profile Optische Systeme GmbH, a European maker of optical-measurement solutions.

Other News

Corning's OptiFocus Lensed Fiber Gains Award
Corning Inc. (Quote) said its OptiFocus Lensed Fiber was selected for the R&D Magazine 2002 "R&D 100 Award." Each year the R&D 100 Award recognizes the 100 most technologically significant product developments. The award will be presented at a ceremony on October 16th in Chicago, Illinois.