Bookham to supply passive optical components for Sumitomo Electric Industries' broadband access systems

June 16 2004, Santa Rosa, CA--Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) has selected Bookham Technology to supply critical passive optical components for its fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) broadband systems.

SEI's products are being used in next generation telecommunications access networks for two-way broadband residential video and telephony transport. These products consist of distribution hubs and access terminals that will integrate Bookham's passive optical components into a suite of next generation optical line terminal equipment and optical network unit interfaces.

"We are pleased to have been selected by SEI as the main vendor for their FTTP program," said Conrad Burke, senior vice president of worldwide sales for Bookham Technology. "We have been working very closely with SEI to develop specific optical passive component solutions for their strategic next generation access platform," he added.

SEI is an industry leader in the Japanese FTTP market. The company was also selected by one of the largest regional telephone companies in the U.S. to supply a broad range of solutions for a large scale FTTP rollout.

"We are delighted to be working with an industry leader like Bookham Technology," said Dr. Yoshi Suetsugu, for SEI. "We selected Bookham because of their industry leading thin film filter technology, which offers the best technology and cost solution available in the market," he added.

"This is positive news for the optical components market to see two complementary leading vendors like Bookham and SEI working together," said Karen Liu, director of Optical Component Research at RHK. "The combination of Bookham's leading thin film filters and SEI's FTTP systems history will create a strong presence in the growing FTTP market."