With this breakthrough, Intel researchers said, they have shown that it should be possible to build optical fiber communications systems using their conventional chip-making process without resorting to either the exotic materials or hand-assembly techniques that are now the standard in the fiber optic networking industry.
A longtime holding is JDS Uniphase of San Jose, Calif., a maker of fiber optic networking gear.
Qwest and Williams, both quick-building, big-bandwidth fiber-network providers, want to use optical networking equipment for a reliable way to transmit large amounts of data over long distances.
LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES, Murray Hill, N.J., said it had signed a one-year, $90 million contract to provide optical networking systems to the undersea fiber optic cable provider TyCom, Pembroke, Bermuda.
Take Sycamore Networks, the optical networking equipment maker.
INTEL CORP., Santa Clara, Calif., the world's largest maker of semiconductors, said it had bought a laser technology business from New Focus Inc., San Jose, Calif., a maker of fiber optic products, for $50 million in cash to augment its optical networking business.
Lucent Technologies, trying to rebound after strategic missteps and production problems hammered its stock price and forced warnings of disappointing earnings, announced plans to split its optical networking group into separate units focusing on long-distance and metropolitan fiber optic networks.
It also bought optical networking vendors Cerent and Monterey Networks in August 1999 for $7.4 billion.
Corning Inc., the fiber optics maker, announced three deals yesterday aimed at bolstering its role in the optical networking market, including a $2 billion agreement to buy the NetOptix Corporation.
