Long-Term Outlook Good For MEMS

Communications Today, April 30, 2002

Despite the downturn in the telecom market, the development of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS)-based solutions for optical networking is moving forward at a rapid pace, with product offerings expanding beyond switches to include tunable lasers, tunable filters, variable optical attenuators, and dynamic gain equalizers.

In-Stat/MDR reports that even though MEMS solutions are ready and the telecom market is not, the long-term opportunity for those developing MEMS-based devices for optical networking remains a positive one.

The high-tech market research firm projects that, for companies that can wait for the market to turn (sometime in 2003), the return will be significant, with revenues for MEMS in optical networking forecast to grow from $33.1 million in 2001 to more than $1.8 billion in 2006.

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