BOCA RATON, Fla., July 24 -- Boca Photonics Inc., an innovator in engineering competitive economic advantages for optical network operators, announced that the company has achieved an important milestone in the development of its total service control solution for optical mesh networks. A few select telecommunications equipment vendors and investors have visited Boca Photonics' headquarters in Boca Raton for a demonstration of the company's real-time signaling control protocol, a key element of the service control solution for establishing a fast, highly reliable signaling control layer critical for the provisioning, protection and restoration of high-capacity optical services. According to Michael McLaughlin, Boca Photonics president and chief executive officer, the company is on track to roll out its total service control solution for optical mesh networks by the first quarter of 2002. The service control demonstration encompasses nine simulated optical cross connects in a mesh network topology, presenting an accurate and complete view for the provisioning, protection and restoration of services that deliver SONET ring technology performance and offer multiple service class levels. "By enabling real-time simulation of the preplanned and dynamic provisioning, protection, and restoration of optical services, our signaling and control protocol provides vital network intelligence carriers and equipment vendors need to optimize their present and future service and product offerings," said Jose Sabat, chief technology officer of Boca Photonics. "The performance of our signaling and control protocol continues to meet our expectations."