Connector Growth in the Telecommunications Market
ST. CHARLES, Ill. — According to Bishop & Associates Inc., worldwide shipments of telecommunications equipment totaled $239.2 billion in 1999. The forecast for 2000 is $277.5 billion, an increase of 16.0 percent. On a regional basis, North American equipment shipments are expected to achieve the largest year-to-year growth for 2000, with a projected increase of 20.9 percent over 1999. The Asia-Pacific region is next with a projected increase of 13.1 percent, followed by Japan and Europe with forecast growth of 12.5 and 10.8 percent, respectively. The world telecom equipment market is projected to achieve a five-year compound average growth rate (CAGR; from 1999 to 2004) of 14.2 percent (see Table).
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Total factory shipments of connectors to the telecom market are forecast at $5.964 billion for 2000, up 26.9 percent over 1999. Connectors utilized in telecommunications equipment are projected to achieve a five-year CAGR of 13.6 percent.
The largest user of connectors was the wireline carrier equipment sector, with a value of $1.484 billion in 1999. The next largest user of connectors in 1999 was the mobile and wireless equipment sector at $1.449 billion, followed by the enterprise network equipment sector at $1.225 billion. Go to www.connectorindustry.com for more information.
Bluetooth Nodes to Top 1.4 Billion by 2005
OYSTER BAY, N.Y. — According to Allied Business Intelligence (ABI), the momentum behind Bluetooth has shown no signs of abating, despite recent market delays. Annual shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices are projected to reach over 1.4 billion nodes in 2005, up from 56 million nodes in 2001. This will represent a sizeable silicon market opportunity with semiconductor revenues of $5.3 billion by 2005.
"A variety of players are looking at adding wireless connectivity to their products and are realizing that Bluetooth technology's promise of a low-power and low-cost solution is ideal," said Navin Sabharwal, ABI Director of Residential & Networking Technologies. "Bluetooth's scope of adoption is not limited to the cellular phone industry and we will begin to see Bluetooth transceivers embedded in everything from PC equipment to industrial devices."
ABI forecasts that by 2005 cellular mobile handsets will account for less than 47 percent of all Bluetooth nodes shipped in that year, compared to 65 percent in 2002. As this shift occurs, Bluetooth will make rapid penetration into PC-centric, consumer electronics and vertical application market segments. The shift will be aided by the large number of players targeting the silicon opportunity for Bluetooth solutions, in the process creating an immensely competitive and innovative silicon market. This will drive steep declines in the price of Bluetooth silicon solutions and allow for a sub-$5 Bluetooth module beyond 2003.
ABI cautions that there are definite obstacles in the path of Bluetooth success.
"We are unlikely to see a significant volume of Bluetooth-enabled devices Bluetooth continued until mid-2001, and the market will only begin to accelerate in 2002," said Sabharwal. "Lack of inexpensive silicon, interoperability problems and limited applications could serve to dampen the market in the early phase, but as these issues are addressed, Bluetooth adoption by equipment vendors and actual use by consumers should be robust."
Wescon Spring and EtroniX Co-locate
NORWALK, Conn. — The Electronics Group of Reed Exhibition Companies and Electronic Conventions Inc. have announced the co-location of EtroniX and Wescon Spring 2001. The show will be held February 25-March 1, 2001, in Anaheim, Calif.
EtroniX is an electronics technology umbrella event featuring five vertical events: dEsign Expo, e/mfg expo, Advanced Packaging International, EvaluTech, and Nepcon Production and Support. Wescon Spring 2001 is a component technology event. "Electronics manufacturers are increasingly looking to their supply chains to maximize efficiencies, and component technology has represented a key area of focus," said John Moriarty, Event Director for EtroniX. "This unique venture is the major step required to bring the entire electronics industry under one roof," he added.
FCI Establishes Fiber Optics Division
ETTERS, Pa. — FCI USA Inc. has established a new Fiber Optics Division that will assume FCI's fiber optics activities for North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The former Canstar passive optical components group will also report to this newly formed division, under the leadership of long-time FCI Vice President Tom Lyons.
Fiber optics technologies are fueling one of the most dynamic and fastest growing markets in the world. With the Internet driving an unending demand for bandwidth, engineers are turning to fiber optics for a multitude of solutions. FCI has installed major fiber optic cable assembly facilities in Juarez, Mexico and in Valley Green, Pa. Plans include further expansions of volume assembly lines in Europe and Asia.
FCI's manufacturing facilities are capable of terminating standard fiber optic connectors, including multifiber connectors and miniature form factors. Capabilities also include polishing procedures that meet or exceed Telcordia requirements.
Stratos Expands Licensing
CHICAGO — Stratos Lightwave Inc. has entered into a licensing agreement with Tyco Electronics Corp. Stratos and Tyco have settled the lawsuit brought by Stratos by cross-licensing the technology of each company that is generally related to optical components. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
As part of the agreement, Tyco has taken a license from Stratos for its removable optoelectronic module products, including its gigabit interface converter and small form-factor pluggable transceivers, guide rails and cage receptacles, and other pluggable transceiver modules and receptacles. The settlement provides Tyco a license to sell gigabit interface converter guide rails under the Stratos patents. This agreement, however, does not extend to third parties that use nonlicensed removable transceiver modules with licensed receptacles or nonlicensed receptacles with licensed removable transceiver modules.
Stratos has taken a license from Tyco for its Quantum QX fiber optic assemblies and has entered into a technology transfer agreement relating to Tyco's AMP Lightray MPX fiber optic array connectivity products in the form of multifiber array connectors, adapters, backplane and daughtercard housings, and related products. "Stratos Lightwave is enthusiastic in supporting this leading form factor in the rapidly growing optical backplane market," said Phil Schofield, Stratos's COO. "This agreement enables Stratos products to be physically and functionally equivalent and intermateable with AMP Lightray MPX products, and provides the marketplace with another recognized source for these advanced technology products."
In related news, Stratos announced that its Quantum QX fiber optic backplane connectivity system is fully compatible with AMP Lightray MPX connectors. Test reports by internationally accredited Trace Laboratories (Hunt Valley, Md.) document that Stratos's connectors and Lightray MPX connectors are mechanically and optically intermateable and provide a common level of performance.
In the tests, random combinations of Quantum QX and Lightray MPX trunk and harness assemblies were interconnected and measured for insertion loss (optical attenuation). Tests were also conducted to determine whether there were any mechanical anomalies associated with the connectors or the board and backplane shrouds. The assemblies passed all tests. In addition, while not called out in the test procedures, optical back reflection measurements were also taken, and were better than -65 dB for all combinations of Quantum QX and Lightray MPX mating pairs.
PLACES & FACES...
Alcoa Inc. (Pittsburgh) has acquired all of the assets relating to the fiber optic product lines of Thomas & Betts Corp. (Memphis, Tenn.). The sale includes splitters, couplers, cable assemblies and fiber management systems for OEMs and optical systems suppliers marketed under the Aster brand name.
Rifocs Corp., Camarillo, Calif., has named Chuck Clark as Vice President and General Manager. Clark succeeds Rifocs founder Robert Rickenbach, who will serve as Vice President of Technology Development. In other news, the company has merged its operations with Datacom-Textron, a manufacturer of test equipment for copper-based LANs in Everett, Wash. Both companies are subsidiaries of Textron Inc. Lastly, Rifocs has moved it Components Div. to a new 20,000 sq ft facility in Camarillo. The move provides room for the company to begin terminating fiber optic ribbon cable assemblies and MT-RJ duplex cables.
Robert Fan has joined Trompeter Electronics as Technical Director of Fiber Optic Operations. His position involves the establishment and oversight of this business unit, which is located in Westlake Village, Calif. Additionally, Trompeter has appointed Kees Trimpe as Sales Manager, Europe. Trimpe is responsible for establishing Trompeter Europe, a sales office in Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
The MicroGiga Connector from Fujitsu Takamisawa America Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) has been selected by the InfiniBand Trade Association as the standard I/O connector for Infiniband's 4X and 12X I/O interface. The connector was chosen based on the need for improved balance between processor speed and I/O performance.
Germantown, Wis.-based Wago Corp. has promoted Toby Thomann to National Sales Manager. Thomann previously held the position of Marketing Manager at Wago.
Insilco Corp., a subsidiary of Insilco Holding Co., has changed its name to Insilco Technologies Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.). The name change reflects the company's commitment to manufacturing cable assemblies and electromechanical subassemblies, transformers, high-speed modular connectors and precision stamping.
Huber + Suhner Inc. (Essex Junction, Vt.) is expanding its manufacturing facility by 43,000 sq ft. Because of the rapid developments in wireless communication infrastructure and its convergence with the Internet, the company is experiencing tremendous growth.
Litton Industries Inc. (Woodland Hills, Calif.) is selling its Advanced Electronics Group, which includes its navigation and electronic warfare businesses. The sale is part of restructuring to capture opportunities in higher growth markets such as telecommunications.
Woodhead Industries Inc. (Deerfield, Ill.) announced that its existing business development managers will now report to Paul Eitmant, President, North and South American Sales. This sales restructuring enables the sales division to coordinate OEM program services and activities.
Juergen Gaebler has joined Stapla Ultrasonics Corp. (Wilmington, Mass.) as Business Manager, Plastic Welding Products. Gaebler is responsible for building and managing Stapla's plastic welding business.
STANDARDS...
Standards Proposal 4834 — Creation of FOCIS14, Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability Standard, Type SMC. This standard describes the parent connector for Type SMC connector family, which is an optical multiway connector plug characterized by a rectangular ferrule normally 6.4 X 2.5 mm.
ANSI/TIA/EIA-604-12 — Creation of FOCIS12, Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability Standard, Type MT-RJ. This standard presents the intermateability standard for connectors with the commercial designation of MT-RJ and is used as an addendum to TIA/EIA-604, Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability Standards. The provisions of TIA/EIA-604 apply to this standard.
Standards Proposal 4360-B — Creation of TIA/EIA-785, 100 Mbps Physical Layer Medium Dependent Sublayer and 10 and 100 Mbps Auto-negotiation on 850 nm Fiber Optic. This standard specifies the 100Base-X PMD (including MDI) and fiber optic medium for a short-wavelength, multimode fiber 100Base-SX.
Standards Proposal 4426-B — Revision of TIA/EIA-568-B.2, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, Part 2: Balanced Twisted-pair Cabling. This standard specifies minimum requirements for balanced twisted-pair telecommunications cabling components that are used, up to and including the telecommunications outlet/connector and between buildings in a campus environment.
Standards Proposal 1895-RF1 — Reaffirmation of TIA/EIA-455-37-A, FOTP37, Low- or High-temperature Bend Test for Fiber Optic Cable. This standard describes a procedure for determining the ability of a fiber optic cable to withstand bending at low or high temperatures.
Standards Proposal 2190-RF1 — Reaffirmation of TIA/EIA-455-181, FOTP181, Lightning Damage Susceptibility Test for Fiber Optic Cables with Metallic Components. This testing procedure provides a method for electrical-impulse testing of fiber optic cable using specified current waveforms and peak-current levels.
Standards Proposal 2303-RV1 — Revision of TIA/EIA-455-58-B, FOTP58, Core Diameter Measurement of Graded-index Optical Fibers. This standard gives three methods for determining the core diameter of graded-index optical fibers having near-parabolic index profiles.
Project Number 3894-AD1 — Creation of ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.3-1, Additional Transmission Performance Specifications for Optical Fiber Cabling Systems. This standard is to specify minimum requirements for next-generation optical fiber telecommunications cabling components that are used within a commercial building, up to and including the telecommunications outlet/connector and between buildings in a campus environment; and minimum performance requirements for the next-generation optical fiber cabling components such as cable, connectors, connecting hardware, patch cords and field test equipment.
Project Number 4890 — Creation of TIA/EIA/TSB-125, Maintaining Optical Fiber Cabling Polarity. This standard is to provide installation guidelines for polarity maintenance in optical fiber systems. Cabling practices specified herein will maintain proper polarity for all systems regardless of the connector type (simplex, duplex, etc.).
