4 March 2003 -- A new Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for the development of tunable lasers has been established by iolon, Intel, Bookham Technology, and Santur.
The MSA is based on the Optical Internetworking Forum's (OIF) tunable laser implementation agreement published in November, 2002. The OIF IA is supported by more than 20 companies, including system vendors, component manufacturers and chip vendors.
The agreement is said to enable system vendors to source components from more than one tunable laser manufacturer. It also allows companies to streamline product designs by setting standards for functionality, size and optical performance, resulting in faster time to market for tunable laser products and solutions.
Saeid Aramideh, VP Product Management at iolon, said, "The OIF implementation agreement was an industry milestone in terms of uniting companies involved in different parts of tunable device development, from chip manufacturers to system vendors.
"This MSA takes the implementation agreement to the next level. It moves the entire industry one step forward towards fully compatible tunable laser modules, and ultimately tunable integrated assemblies and tunable transponders."
Gary Wiseman, director of marketing, Optical Platforms Division, at Intel, added, "The MSA signifies a major shift towards uniting the entire industry around advancing the OIF implementation agreement.
"This benefits both the companies working on tunable laser technology, but also the carriers and equipment OEMs who will implement DWDM solutions in the near future."
"We support the advancement of tunable laser technology in the market and see this Multi-Source Agreement as an important step towards achieving wide acceptance of tunability by customers." said Steve Turley, Chief Commercial Officer for Bookham. "The MSA builds on the OIF implementation agreement and will lead the way for integrated tunable laser component developments in the future."
"Our MSA coalition builds on the foundation that was set by the OIF implementation agreement late last year. It gives system vendors the capability to work with various sources, which will help drive the implementation of next-generation tunable networks," said Bardia Pezeshki, CTO at Santur Corporation.
Technical specifications and a full list of all companies participating in the MSA can be viewed at www.tunablelasermsa.com