A World's First for Optical Switching: Live Data Traffic Switched by MEMS-based Optical Switch Subsystems Delivered by OMM Inc.Business Editors/High-tech Writers SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2000 San Diego Based Manufacturer of Optical Switch Subsystems Provides Products for Deployment in Next Generation Internet See Internet2. (NGI (Next Generation Internet) A project of the U.S. government for researching high-speed network technologies for use by federal agencies. See Internet2. ) Project Optical Micro Machines Inc (OMM OMM Organisation Météorologique Mondiale (French: World Meteorological Organization) OMM Organización Meteorológica Mundial (Spanish: World Meteorological Organization) OMM Organizzazione Meteorologica Mondiale ) announced today that the Company's new line of optical switch subsystems have been routing live traffic for over one month in an unmanned central office in Oakland, California. This represents the first time that micro-electromechanical subsystem (MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. ) based switching systems have been deployed to carry live data traffic. Rack-mounted optical switch subsystems provided by OMM Inc are being deployed in field trials conducted by the National Transparent Optical Network Consortium (NTONC NTONC National Transparent Optical Network Consortium ), which includes Nortel Networks, GST Telecommunications, Sprint Communications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: see Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (body) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - (LLNL) A research organaisatin operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy. and San Francisco Bay Area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay Rapid Transit (BART). "MEMS based switch subsystems delivered by OMM are currently switching live traffic," said Robert Hendrickson, director of the advanced technologies laboratories at GST Telecom. "Additionally, we were able to re-provision the optical switching network from a remote location, thereby demonstrating major operational cost savings capabilities," Hendrickson added. OMM's optical switch subsystems are non-blocking and feature low optical insertion loss and fast switching speeds. The Company's optical switches operate independently of the data-rate or signal protocol traveling through the switch, thereby offering scalability advantages compared to conventional electrical switching systems. OMM's advanced capabilities in automation, packaging and software control have made it possible to deliver first-to-market commercial optical switching subsystems. The company is currently ramping up manufacturing output, and hiring to double employee headcount to over 200 by year-end. "This shows that MEMS-based switching is for real and this demonstration of live traffic switching using OMM's products is as real as it gets," said Stephen Montgomery, President of ElectroniCast, a leading telecommunications market research firm. NTONC is part of Supernet, which is an integral part of the Next Generation Internet (NGI) project. GST Telecommunications Inc. is an Integrated Communications Provider (ICP (1) (Internet Cache Protocol) A protocol used by one proxy server to query another for a cached Web page without having to go to the Internet to retrieve it. See CARP and proxy server. ) headquartered in Vancouver, Washington providing integrated telecommunications products and services throughout the United States. OMM Inc., headquartered in San Diego California is a privately-held company and a leading manufacturer of optical switch subsystems based on micro electromechanical systems (MEMS). More information can be found at www.omminc.com. |
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