PARIS, March 15 -- Alcatel Optronics, maker of submarine opto-electronic components, launched a new generation of 980 nm submarine pumps for high bit-rate, dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) submarine systems. This new line of pumps, which provide 200 mW of power, delivers higher output power than previously available products and allows designers to increase performance in under sea optical systems, said Alcatel. In related news, Alcatel Optronics and JDS Uniphase Corp. have reached an agreement to extend the supply of 980 nm laser chips and pump stabilizers to Alcatel through 2003.
    Alcatel explained that the Internet's demand for transmission capacity has caused telecommunications networks to rely on DWDM systems -- which multiply the number of potential channels on the same fiber optic strand -- as the solution. To compensate for the attenuation of the signal in the fiber due to the long distances covered, erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are installed along the transmission line. Alcatel's new pump modules are integrated into optical amplifiers to provide the energy required to boost a greater number of transmission channels used on the same fiber.