The Internet has grown significantly in reach as well as use, and so has the data transferred over it. It has emerged as the platform for a growing number of bandwidth-intensive IP-based applications, including high-speed data, user-generated video and voice over IP. These applications, together with the proliferation of high-speed network access technologies, are causing Internet traffic to grow dramatically.

Cisco Systems estimates that IP traffic will nearly double every two years through 2011. To keep pace with the rapid growth in traffic, service providers are continually expanding network capacity and data transmission speed, while also striving to reduce their transmission cost per bit. And, they would like to do this all on their existing network while being able to roll out additional services without decommissioning working systems.

It is in this effort that StrataLight Communications is playing a major role. It supplies 40 Gbps optical subsystems that are used in the networks of telecommunications service providers and cable operators, quadrupling the existing capacity on their network. StrataLight’s optical technology can retrofit currently deployed systems without any change to existing DWDM systems, fiber, amplifiers, optical filters or other network infrastructure. StrataLight Communications designed its subsystems in a way so that they integrate easily into the optical systems of their customers called OEMs. It is these original equipment manufacturers (OEM) like Ciena, Nokia-Siemens Networks and Xtera, who sell the systems to service providers.

The demand for such spectrally efficient subsystems is on the rise. In fact, as per the estimates of Ovum-RHK, the number of 40 Gbps optical ports will increase from 2,600 in 2006 to approximately 33,600 in 2010. That is a compound annual growth rate of 90 percent.

“In this light, StrataLight seeks to not only address the needs of OEMs and service providers for 40 Gbps network speeds but also to leverage its technological knowhow and experience to strive towards developing subsystems offering speeds of 100 Gbps and beyond,” says Shri Dodani, President and Chief Executive Officer at StrataLight Communications.