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Table of Contents Departments News Belden jumping into industrial-connectivity, Asian-cable markets with acquisitions In late January and early February, Belden (www.belden.com) announced its intentions to acquire two companies in separate deals valued at a total of more than $450 million. Dominant European telecom market passes $1 trillion Europe has achieved world domination where it really counts-in the telecommunications market-but some other regions of the planet are growing at a more rapid pace than the continent. FCI, Molex in tussle over patent FCI (www.fciconnect.com) and Molex (www.molex.com) each have taken legal action against the other in a patent-infringement battle over Molex’s recently introduced I-Trac connectors. 3M awarded patent for connector arrangement in wrist strap monitors A patent has been awarded to engineers at 3M’s (www.mmm.com) Soquel, CA facility, who have developed a connector arrangement in wrist strap monitors that offers significant advantage in clean, static-controlled environments. Newsmakers News briefs Editor's View Can I get that in writing? Over a short period of time recently, I received three requests-all of a similar nature-that got me thinking. Industry Insight The right partnerships lead to the right connection For semiconductor and silicon vendors, staying current on connector technology many seem like an inconsequential distraction from their core businesses. Products New Products WHAT’S NEW CONNECTORS FIBEROPTIC CONNECTORS CABLING & CONNECTOR SUPPORT MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT & TOOLS Features Hose down survival The “must have” characteristics for interconnect devices that will constantly be exposed to water-based cleaning. Copper’s wild ride: Where is the market headed? While global copper cost is often a roller coaster proposition, some experts see less volatility and lower prices ahead. Polarity design considerations for ribbon-cable connectivity A recent telecommunications specification provides serial transmission fiber polarity guidance for systems using MPO designs.

This Issue Volume 23 Issue 1 February 2007 Subscribe View Past Issues

Wiring Harness

Communications Connectivity

Standards

Materials and Distribution

Design and Test

Connector Applications

Business