News Release

Light at the end of the tunnel: Photonics are tipped to make global communications network a reality

Technical Insights' photonic technologies analysis

Business Announcement

Technical Insights

NEW YORK--January 21, 2003-- Photonics is increasingly being identified as a key enabling technology in the construction of a global communications network. Its potential in advancing information systems and image-processing technologies is expected to stimulate photonics-based research and development initiatives.

Besides generating and controlling light, photonics technology can rapidly disseminate and process large volumes of digital information. The interface of light with other materials renders it an ideal precision measurement, fine process, and diagnostic tool.

Speed, immunity from interference, increased bandwidth, and enhanced data storage capacity are some of the advantages of working with light. These attributes are channelling sizeable investments into photonics research activities.

"A single optical fiber can carry the equivalent of 300,000 telephone calls at the same time," states Technical Insights Analyst Michael Valenti. "Photonics technology also provides sufficient communication capacity to meet the forecast demand for fully interactive, multimedia, Internet services."

The rapid transition from an electronic to an optical telecommunications network is anticipated to spur multi-disciplinary efforts to take advantage of the advanced information-carrying ability of photons.

Apart from telecommunications, optical fiber and photonics technologies are likely to be deployed in other industrial applications. The most promising of these is biophotonics, a technology in which photonics are used to create novel procedures and techniques in varied life science arenas including biotechnology, microbiology, medicine, surgery, and veterinary medicine.

Says Valenti, "Photonics also has a growing reputation in solving clinical and research problems through advanced spectroscopy, laser, microscopy, and fiber-optic imaging."

New analysis by Technical Insights, a business unit of Frost & Sullivan (www.Technical-Insights.frost.com), on Photonic Technologies: Opportunities in Communications, Data Storage, Displays, Materials, and Sensors defines key markets and applications photonics; provides a detailed overview of technological advances in development laboratories; identifies key companies and developers; and provides estimates of timelines for commercializing the technology.

Technical Insights will hold a conference call at 3:00 p.m. (EST)/ 12:00 p.m. (PST) on January 28, 2003 to provide a summary and analysis of the latest developments in photonic materials. Those interested in participating in the call should send an email to Julia Rowell at jrowell@frost.com with the following information for registration:

Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, Contact Fax Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information, a confirmation/pass code for the live briefing will be emailed to you.

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Frost & Sullivan is a global leader in strategic growth consulting. Acquired by Frost & Sullivan, Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and reports. This ongoing growth opportunity analysis of Photonic Materials is covered in Inside R&D Alert, a Technical Insights subscription service, and in Optical MEMS, a Frost & Sullivan Technical Insights technology report. Technical Insights and Frost & Sullivan also offer custom growth consulting to a variety of national and international companies. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.

Photonics Technologies: Opportunities in Communications, Data Storage, Displays, Materials, and Sensors Report: D249

Contact:
USA
Julia Rowell
P: 210.247.3870
F: 210.348.1003
E: jrowell@frost.com

APAC:
Pramila Gurtoo
DID : (603) 6204 5811
Gen : (603) 6204 5800
Fax : (603) 6201 7402
E: pgurtoo@frost.com

www.frost.com
www.Technical-Insights.frost.com


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