OCTOBER 17, 2006 -- JDSU (search JDSU) today announced the acquisition of the technology and patent portfolio of Metconnex Canada Inc., developer of wavelength selective switch (search WSS) modules. JDSU did not acquire any of Metconnex's business operations.
Per the agreement, JDSU will acquire Metconnex's intellectual property (IP) for $2.5 million. In connection with the acquisition and the liquidation of Metconnex, both parties agreed to dismiss all pending litigation, including litigation commenced by JDSU against Metconnex and certain of its officers and employees for alleged violation of JDSU patent and intellectual property rights.
"We will continue to use our extensive portfolio of patents and proprietary technology to enable broadband and optical innovation in all parts of the world," contends Matthew Fawcett, general counsel for JDSU. "JDSU's intellectual property stems from the hard work, inspiration, and intelligence of our employees, and we are committed to protecting it."
JDSU says that WSS technology is central to its portfolio of reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (search ), which are increasingly used by carriers to enable the cost-effective rollout of triple-play services. The addition of the Metconnex IP further strengthens JDSU's ROADM leadership and expands its portfolio of IP-protected ROADM technology for the diverse long haul and metro architectures demanded today, say company representatives.
JDSU offers what it claims is the most comprehensive ROADM portfolio, with products based on each of three underlying technologies: liquid crystal-based blockers and planar lightwave circuit- (PLC) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based WSS.
ROADMs are an integral part of the Agile Optical Network (AON), a flexible network architecture that enables service providers to support the bandwidth-hungry applications that are increasingly demanded by their customers.
"By the end of fiscal year 2006, JDSU had shipped more than 9,000 ROADMs carrying traffic in both long-haul and metro networks," reports Mike Ricci, senior vice president of JDSU'sIoptical communications group. "Optical networks are evolving from two-directional ring architectures to a free-form mesh architecture of interconnecting optical circuits dependent upon ROADM-based switching," he adds. "With their unsurpassed reliability, JDSU ROADMs have been selected by the vast majority of service providers worldwide."
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