Calient Networks Launches PX Switching Subsystem to Automate System Testing, Grid Computing and Pre-Deployment Staging.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NFOEC 2003

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2003

Montana State University, major U.S. carrier and optical research

institutions first to adopt photonic switch core

Calient Networks, a leading provider of intelligent photonic switching systems, has launched its new PX(TM) photonic switching subsystem for use in software reconfigurable patch panels, automated system testing, automated manufacturing testing, grid computing and pre-deployment network staging. The company's PX is being adopted by a growing list of U.S. customers, including major carriers, Montana State University and multiple national optical research institutions.

Calient developed the PX on request from carriers, original equipment manufacturers, government agencies and research labs for a basic switch core version of its award-winning DiamondWave(TM) PXC system. Calient's PX is a non-blocking switch core, available in configurations from 32 by 32 ports up to 256 by 256 ports for as little as $800 list price per port. It provides fully automated, any-to-any connectivity between network elements and test equipment without manual re-cabling or reconfiguration.

"Virtually all tier-one network operators and research teams have photonic switching on their roadmaps, but current market dynamics compel them to adopt photonics 'one bite at a time'," stated Calient Networks co-founder and CEO Charles Corbalis. "It's often the case that they simply need to build an institutional learning curve about photonic networking. Available optical switches are generally too small, too expensive, and so inflexible that they discourage widespread use."

Montana State University's Gilhousen Telecommunications Program in Bozeman implemented a pre-commercial version of Calient's PX through the Photonic Technology Access Program (PTAP), funded by NSF and DARPA. Says Professor Richard S. Wolff, Gilhousen Telecommunications Program Chair, "Our team will use the PX to explore the effects of switch dynamics on end-to-end performance in all-optical networks, in applications as diverse as neuroscience visualization, solar physics, agricultural science and NSF-funded grid computing. In addition, we will use the PX in our optical communications labs to enable students to get a better grasp of emerging optical systems."

Dr. Wolff continued, "Calient's PX product is ideal for our applications because it is transparent and non-blocking. The DiamondWave PXC is already proving itself in grid environments such as the NSF OptIPuter network, demonstrating that dynamic optical networks are a key component to enable the lambda networks of the future. Calient is the clear leader in this space."

The 32 by 32 PX switch core has also been purchased by a tier-one carrier as a software reconfigurable patch panel, to enable rapid set-up and automated reconfiguration of lightpaths, switches and other network elements in lab and pre-deployment environments. A second research institute is preparing to deploy PX capabilities in support of its federally-funded all-optical networking, computational research and wavelength switching programs.

"With our leading solutions, the largest knowledge base and longest runtime in this space, Calient Networks is leading the charge to make adoption of photonic switching as easy and affordable as possible," emphasized Charles Corbalis. " We intend to expand our lead across the breadth of photonic switching applications."

The PX is bit-rate independent and protocol transparent, with a wavelength range from 1260 nm to 1625 nm, and simple management interfaces including TL1 Command Line Interface and RPC for remote machine-to-machine interfaces. It supports single-mode fiber (SMF) and has built-in input and output power detection as well as a self-recovery mechanism in the event of power failure.

About Calient Networks

Calient Networks is a leading provider of intelligent, photonic switching systems and software that help service providers scale their networks for explosive bandwidth demands and deliver new wavelength services. Calient's DiamondWave(TM) switching system and GMPLS-powered networking innovations provide a seamless, 'opto-electronic-to-photonic' migration path that is non-disruptive to legacy operations, highly cost-effective, and an enabler to revenue-generating optical services. Calient is shipping its DiamondWave PXC systems and PX switching subsystems to production networks, labs and OEMs worldwide. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. Additional engineering and manufacturing operations are located in Santa Barbara, California, while MEMS design and fabrication operations are located in Ithaca, New York. For additional information about Calient, visit www.calient.net.

Calient Networks, the Calient Networks logo, and DiamondWave are trademarks of Calient Networks, Inc.

About the Gilhousen Telecommunications Program at Montana State University

The College of Engineering at Montana State University received $5 million from Klein and Karen Gilhousen in 2001 to establish the Gilhousen Telecommunications Fund, an endowed chair in telecommunications, an undergraduate scholars program, R&D and graduate student support within the college's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

Today the Gilhousen Telecommunications Program leads extensive research initiatives in wireless systems, transparent optical network systems and their commercialization, optical materials, spatial-spectral holography, and optical applications beyond Internet2.

Dr. Klein Gilhousen serves on advisory boards for MSU's College of Engineering, Electrical Engineering Department and Burns Telecommunications Center. An electrical engineer and IEEE Fellow with a distinguished international career in communications technology, Dr. Gilhousen is also a named inventor of 54 U.S. patents, a founder of Qualcomm, Inc. of San Diego, Calif., and currently serves as Qualcomm's Senior Vice President for Technology and advisor on Qualcomm Ventures.

About the Photonics Technology Assistance Program (PTAP) and the Optoelectronics Industry Development Agency (OIDA)

The Photonics Technology Access Program (PTAP) provides pre-commercial, state-of-the-art photonic devices to universities for teaching and research.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsor the PTAP. It is administered by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), which acts as the broker between industry and the universities.