Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A), a provider of communications components, announced enhancements to its transceivers and receivers for optical networking systems. With small-form-factor size and speeds that range from OC-3 (155 megabits-per-second) to OC-192 (10 gigabits-per-second), these products provide systems manufacturers the design flexibility to enable a variety of network configurations and service offerings for service provider customers.
Agere's transceiver/receiver product family includes a new set of pluggable transceivers, new Netlight transceivers with extended temperature range, a high-performing 10 Gbit/s positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) receiver, and new 2.5 Gbit/s 1R/2R/3R receivers.
Agere's small-form-factor pluggable transceiver family
Agere is announcing a family of small-form-factor pluggable transceivers that send and receive light signals across fiber-optic networks. These transceivers, called the NLP series, allow systems makers the flexibility of designing communications boards without the need to solder transceivers onto the board during manufacturing. With pluggable transceivers, systems manufacturers can improve manufacturing efficiency and give service providers the option to "plug in" transceivers based on the speed or distance required, as well as easily upgrade or reconfigure their systems over time.
These transceivers are available in OC-3 (155 Mbits/s), OC-12 (622 Mbits/s), OC-48 (2.5 Gbits/s) and Gigabit Ethernet (1.25 Gbits/s) and Fibre Channel (1.0622 Gbits/s) versions. The OC-3 and OC-12 versions provide intermediate reach (up to 15 km) ATM connections, while the gigabit versions have been designed for applications up to 5 km over single-mode fiber. The OC-48 version provides short reach (up to 2 km) connections.
Agere expects to sample the transceivers in the third calendar quarter of 2001, with production quantities available by the end of 2001.
Agere's NetLight transceivers
Agere has redesigned its NetLight 2417 transceivers to accommodate a wide temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius. This increased temperature range makes the transceivers perfectly suited for use in non-controlled telecom carrier environments as well as datacom applications such as enterprise LANs and Internet service provider networks. This temperature improvement is offered in the OC-3 and OC-12 NetLight transceivers. In addition, the transceivers' package and pin-out conform to a multisource transceiver agreement.
Designed for intermediate reach applications, the transceivers feature PECL logic level data inputs and outputs, and TTL logic-level disable inputs and signal-detect outputs.
Agere expects to begin shipping the improved performance 2417 NetLight transceivers in volume by the third calendar quarter of 2001.
Agere's 10 Gbit/s PIN receiver
Agere is also offering a high-performing 10 Gbit/s PIN receiver, called the R192P. Agere is part of a small-form-factor multi-source agreement with other developers of 10 gigabit receivers -- including JDS Uniphase, Toshiba and Fujitsu -- and Agere's receiver has been optimized to offer the best sensitivity (-18 dBm) and overload (+1 dBm) of this group. Better sensitivity translates to lower demands on the transmission side and longer transmission distances. Overload measures how susceptible a receiver is to optical input oversaturation.
Agere is also offering the R192P without a mounting flange, to provide customers the choice of even smaller-sized receivers. These "space-sensitive" receivers are ideal for products such as transponders and transceivers, in which board space is at a premium.
The R192P receiver has been developed using coplanar waveguide technology, which reduces radio-frequency noise more significantly than receivers using shielded coax. The receiver can be used in long-haul and intermediate-reach applications.
Samples and production quantities of the R192P receiver are available now.
Agere's 2.5 Gbit/s receiver family
Finally, Agere has enhanced its 2.5 Gbit/s 1R/2R/3R receiver family for intermediate- and short-reach applications. Agere's P172 detector now offers an extended temperature range of its high-sensitivity APD to -40 to +85 degrees Celsius. Agere's 2R and 3R APD receivers, called the R480 and R485, now use a single power supply, offering systems designers low-power consumption capability. In addition, the PIN versions of the P172/R480/R485 are now available with a multi-mode fiber connection option for improved receiver performance over short distances.
1R receivers are composed of a detector and pre-amplifier; 2R receivers add a post-amplifier; and 3R receivers add clock and data recovery electronics.
Samples and production quantities of these 2.5 Gbit/s receivers are available now.
About Agere Systems:
Agere Systems is a provider of components for communications applications with leadership in optical components and integrated circuits. For more information, visit www.agere.com.