Amsterdam, The Netherlands – October 1, 2001 – Agere Systems, Agilent Technologies, Alcatel Optronics, Ericsson Microelectronics, ExceLight Communications, JDS Uniphase, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC and OpNext today announced the formation of a Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for 40 gigabit per second (Gb/s) transponder modules used in fiber optic telecommunications networks. With this agreement, system makers can benefit from a unified form factor and electrical and functional characteristics to be offered by the leading providers of 40Gb/s transponders. These transponders provide an optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical conversion solution for local area, metropolitan and long reach optical networks at four times the information rate of today’s 10Gb/s products. Due to the highly integrated nature of transponders, system manufacturers can save several months in design and development of optical networking systems by not having to deal with board-level, discrete circuit designs. The transponders are being designed to support the needs of Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH) and Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) systems, metropolitan rings, optical add/drop multiplexers and IP switches and routers. The MSA members believe that transponders developed under the MSA will enable the highest level of system performance to meet future network bandwidth requirements.
These 40Gb/s MSA transponders feature integrated Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) and a Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) supporting 16 electrical, parallel, input and output channels at 2.5Gb/s. MSA members will work together to define a common standard for the 40Gb/s transponders. The members believe the fully integrated solution will afford network system suppliers shorter design cycles and allow a significant increase in network capacity.
Under the terms of the agreement, transponders from all of the signatories will conform to and be verified against a specified set of physical, electrical and functional requirements. Further, the agreement allows for a common transponder design platform to address the needs of very short reach, short reach, intermediate reach and long reach networks. Transponder products are expected on the market in the 2003-2005 timeframe.
About JDS Uniphase
JDS Uniphase is a high technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of products for high-performance fiberoptic communications applications. These products are deployed by system manufacturers worldwide to develop advanced optical networks for the telecommunications and cable television industries. JDS Uniphase Corporation is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol JDSU, and the exchangeable shares of JDS Uniphase Canada Ltd. are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol JDU. More information on JDS Uniphase is available at http://www.jdsuniphase.com/.
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by their use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” "will," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "strive," "designed" and similar words. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, any statement or implication that the products described in this press release (i) will be successfully introduced or marketed, (ii) will be qualified and purchased by MSA members’ customers, or (iii) will perform to any particular specifications or performance or reliability standards. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that, if realized, could materially impair the MSA members’ respective results of operations, business and financial condition. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to factors discussed from time to time in financial reports filed by one or more of the MSA. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and none of the MSA members assumes any obligation to update or qualify any of the statements made herein.