Published in Interface Tech News
NASHUA, N.H. ‹ TeraConnect hopes major data-transmission companies will breathe a little easier with the introduction of its new T-48 fiber optic interconnection device, which permits data transfer at rates up to 120 gigabits per second.
Intended for use in high-capacity routing and switching systems, and high-end servers that contain routing and switching hardware, the T-48 is a two-dimensional array converting fiber optic signals to electrical signals used in computer equipment.
In large setups, multiple pieces of equipment are placed in rack systems and connected with high-bandwidth fiber optic cables. The machines can work only as fast as they can transfer data to each other.
"There is a bottleneck in trying to interconnect the machines themselves," said Bill Lindsay, TeraConnect's director of product marketing. Lindsay said the T-48 does the work of four standard 1x12 fiber arrays in half the space on a circuit board, and with less power consumption.
Maribel Dolinov, senior telecom analyst for Forrester Research in Boston, said the product is desirable for companies like Cisco and Nortel, which are among TeraConnect's potential customers.
"One of the things the systems providers are looking for is people to assemble (component groups) and then sell them," Dolinov said.
That is exactly what TeraConnect says it is doing.
"The traditional optical communication systems were built one link at a time," Lindsay said. The T-48 offers four dozen links in one component.
Dolinov said cost, size, and power consumption are all large factors in manufacturers' purchases of optical-electrical conversion equipment, and said TeraConnect's offering may solve some problems in those areas.
TeraConnect, which spun out of BAE Systems in November 2000, has been working on this project for over a year, taking advantage of its continued access to BAE Systems clean rooms and engineering equipment.
"That's a big competitive advantage for us," Lindsay said.
The company is pursuing deals with major market players. While reluctant to name specific potential customers, Lindsay said the company is targeting four major markets: routers, switches, high-performance servers, and storage.
In the context of those markets he talked about possibly approaching companies like Cisco, Nortel, Sun, and EMC. He said TeraConnect is also eyeing major telecom service providers and metro-area operators.
Lindsay said the company is involved in smaller deals now, as prospective clients purchase a few T-48s for testing with their products. He said he anticipates sales to increase as the test results come back.