Avanex Corporation
Avanex has developed proprietary solutions specifically to address attenuation, chromatic dispersion, the mux/demux of increased numbers of wavelengths as well as a uniquely switchless optical add/drop exchanger for metro application, and a series of newer innovations aimed at accelerating the advent of the all-optical network. The company's product focus has been on dramatically greater levels of performance, reduced complexity, and increased cost effectiveness -- all with innovative micrometric packages.
Chromatic dispersion is a phenomenon that occurs as different wavelengths of light travel down an optical fiber at different speeds and reach the end at different times. Attenuation describes the degradation of an optical signal as it is regenerated, in other words, as it is converted from optical to electrical and then back to optical at frequent intervals across a network. Mux/demux which is short for multiplexing and demultiplexing refers to combining or multiplexing different wavelengths of light down into one signal and then separating or demultiplexing them out at the other end.
The company was founded in 1997 and began making volume shipments of initial products in October 1999. Initial revenues have been from its cost-lowering PowerFilter, which was selected for national deployment by a primary carrier. Currently the revenue stream remains based largely on PowerFilter product sales, though its any-channel-count, any-bit-rate, any legacy fiber PowerMux product family is gaining quick acceptance and expected to lead the revenue stream going forward. The company has several other products in trials or early evaluation sales, the two most notable of which are its Power Shaper, which is currently under evaluation at customers and the PowerExchanger which in the alpha testing stage. Headquartered in Fremont, California, the company completed an initial public offering in early February 2000.