"In 2000, the value of optical circulators actually consumed in telecommunications networks was $71.4 million," reports ElectroniCast president Stephen Montgomery. "After seeing the market slip in 2001 and 2002, we are now seeing a significant increase in both volume (number of units) and value in 2003; three-port units are leading with a relative market share of more than 80%, but by 2007, the three-port share will slip to 70%."
Optical circulators are used in several applications, including bidirectional transport systems for multiplexing the forward and reverse paths of the optical signal. They also are appropriate in sensing and fiber-optic instrumentation such as in optical time domain reflectometers to counter the optical signal loss associated with a double pass of a 3-dB fiber-optic coupler/splitter. In addition, they can be used with optical-fiber gratings to build wavelength-division multiplexers and optical add/drop multiplexers for WDM transport systems and other applications.
For more information on the report, "Optical Circulator Global Market Forecast Service," visit www.electronicast.com.