July 6, 2005 Morris Plains, NJ -- Xtellus, a designer and manufacturer of liquid crystal-based dynamic optical modules and components for DWDM networks, today introduced its Wavelength Blocker 7000 (WB 7000), a micro wavelength blocker which the company says is optimized for deployment in Cable MSO optical networks and metro telecommunications networks.
The company says its WB 7000 features one of the smallest form factors of any commercially available wavelength blocker at a price point designed to drive large scale deployment of dynamic DWDM networks. The company says the device provides low insertion loss and high extinction required for metro deployments, and supports up to 64 channels.
According to the company, using the company's liquid crystal optical processor, the device has no moving parts and is engineered for an operational lifetime exceeding 25 years. The company says the device is based on its recently-released compact platform technology, which is designed to reduce the cost and speed the introduction of future products for Dynamic DWDM networks. The device complements the company's existing Wavelength Blocker 9000, which is designed for use in regional and long-haul networks.
The company says that wavelength blocker technology is a proven engine for reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs), and is among the only dynamic wavelength selective technology deployed in volume in operational DWDM systems. The company says its wavelength blocker, offering access to all wavelengths for drops and adds, is an ideal means of economically adding and dropping any number of wavelengths at a node.
"We have been hearing two messages consistently from our customers, that they need a product to provide ROADMs in rapidly growing metro telecommunications and Cable MSO optical networks, and that above all it needs to be low cost," explains Jonathan Homa, vice president of business development for Xtellus. "This product demonstrates our ability to stay well ahead of the cost/performance curve."