Forecast: Rapid Rise in Multifiber Transmit Link Components

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 8 -- Global consumption of multifiber transmit link components will rise rapidly from $48.7 million in 2001 to $1.25 billion in 2006, according to ElectroniCast's just-completed Multifiber Transmit Link & Components Forecast.

"Growth will be most rapid over the 2001-2003 span, coming off the depressed consumption level of the overall fiber optics industry in 2001, plus the fact that multifiber transceivers are now very early in their application life cycle," ElectroniCast Founder and Chairman Jeff D. Montgomery said.

According to the report, the multifiber transmit link is focused almost entirely on short (1-2 km) to very short (one meter) interconnect. Vendors face two competitor groups: other multifiber transmit link vendors, and copper interconnect solutions. The battle against copper focuses on cost per gigabit transported.

"The VCSEL diode, versus the edge emitter laser diode (EELD), has emerged as the lowest cost optical solution in this application. The technical performance of VCSELs is advancing rapidly, to higher data rate (10 Gbps), greater power conversion efficiency, higher power output, and both singlemode and multimode, 850 nm and 1310 nm solutions. It is not surprising that several multifiber transmit link competitors have a strong base in VCSEL research and fabrication," Montgomery said.