LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INTROS. INTEGRATED CIRCUITS TO SUPPORT HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS.

Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) Microelectronics Group, a leader in communications semiconductors, announced three new low-power integrated circuits (ICs) that enable transmission of voice, video and high-speed data signals over passive optical networks (PONs). PONs are a class of "fiber-to-the-home" or "fiber-to-the-curb" access networks that telephone and cable TV companies are starting to deploy to deliver voice, video programming and high-speed Internet access to homes and businesses.

The new ICs - a laser driver, receive and clock data recovery IC - were designed by researchers at Lucent's Bell Labs and will be incorporated in PON components known as optical line terminals (OLTs) and optical networking units (ONUs). OLTs are installed at service provider facilities such as telephone company switching centers or cable TV head-ends. ONUs is installed in homes, apartment and office buildings, or in neighborhood distribution hubs (in fiber-to-the-curb configurations). Communications signals travel between the OLT and ONU over optical fiber, with signals being routed from one OLT to as many as 32 ONUs.

The term "passive" refers to the fact that there are no electrically powered components along the network path - only the endpoints (the OLT and ONUs) are powered. As a result, service providers consider PONs to be an economical and reliable solution for bringing digital video programming and high-speed Internet access over "the last mile" into homes and offices.