CAMBRIDGE, England, May 31 -- Polatis, developer of fiber optic switches for telecommunications equipment manufacturers, announced plans to raise $15 million in second round funding to finance a major manufacturing and marketing program for its switch technology, targeted at telecoms equipment manufacturers. The company has developed unique all-optical switching solutions that enable equipment manufacturers to market higher capacity and more reliable services to telecom carriers. Polatis received a $3 million investment package in December 2000 from European venture capital companies 3i Venture Capital and Alta Berkeley. The additional $15 million is expected to be raised from within the telecom industry and from US and UK venture capitalists. To develop its switching solutions Polatis has drawn on a blend of technology and people from industries such as aerospace, sensors, communications sub-system design, opto-electronics and optical switching. Unlike its competitors, Polatis uses direct beam switching technology in its optical switch cards to reduce optical loss and maximize reliability, the company said.