Fujitsu Network Communications says it was awarded 77 patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2011, 35 more than the company receiving the second-most. In fact, Fujitsu claims that its photonics research and development has garnered 447 patents since 2006 – 40 more than any other optical technology provider.
The patents covered a variety of optical communications technologies, including next-generation reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology, 400G transport, and Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching.
Each year, Fujitsu says it invests more than $2.8 billion in R&D, with the aim of providing North America’s telecom carriers, multiple system operators (MSOs), and private and public-sector enterprises with technology that offers the high bandwidths, low latencies, uninterrupted availability, and security they require.
“Fujitsu’s technology has been chosen by the largest communications operators in North America so it’s not surprising to see them being at the forefront of innovation,” said Ron Kline, principal analyst, network infrastructure telecoms, Ovum. “The company’s substantial R&D investments are helping to move the communications industry toward the next generation in networking where multiple transport standards, protocols and transmission speeds coexist on a single, unified infrastructure.”
Fujitsu believes its technology leadership is fueling the company’s growing optical network market share in North America. According to Ovum, as of Q4 2011, the vendor owned 22% of the total optical transport and switching market, more than any other single provider, the company points out.
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