Bangkok--Apr 18--Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies announces plans to expand fiber optic cable manufacturing operations
Expansion increases fiber output by more than 60 percent this year.
At the Optical Fiber Conference, recently, Lucent Technologies announced plans to increase the company's fiber output by more than 60 percent this year to meet the growing market demand for fiber cable used in high-speed optical communications networks.
Lucent said it plans to invest more than $650 million during the next two years, in addition to the $350 million investment program currently under way, to expand its fiber optic cable manufacturing operations around the world -- bringing the company's total investment to more than $1 billion.
Lucent is adding manufacturing capacity to its optical fiber and cable factories in the U.S., Denmark, Germany, China, Thailand, Russia and Brazil. In addition, the company recently completed its acquisition of SpecTran in Sturbridge, Mass., and Avon, Conn. -- and it is planning to increase manufacturing capacity to these facilities.
"Lucent has led the industry in the shift to new application-based fibers for high-speed optical networks," said John Conrad, president of Service Provider Network, Lucent Technologies Thailand Inc. "To keep pace with demand, we have more than doubled our global capacity to manufacture fiber optic products in the past two years alone -- and we will increase our fiber and fiber cable capacity in 2000 by more than 60 percent."
In Thailand, Lucent Technologies have invested US$ 10 million in Lucent Technologies Network (Thailand) Ltd. (NetTech) factory in Bangpakong to include a fiber optic cable plant. "Optical fiber cables are critical to the communications industry today as these help service providers and enterprises set up broadband and wideband networks," said Mr. Conrad, "By manufacturing these cables in Thailand, we are able to help regional and worldwide communications providers speedily evolve their networks with fiber cabling to meet the soaring demand for high-speed data, advanced voice and video services."
The global market for fiber cable is currently experiencing unprecedented growth to accommodate the increasing reliance worldwide on the Internet as a business and communications tool. According to industry analysts, the market for fiber optic cable is expected to grow at 23-25 percent in 2000.
In 1998, Lucent began construction on its $350 million expansion plan to expand its flagship fiber facility in Atlanta. Additional expansion efforts are currently under way to further increase the capacity of the 170-acre facility, including the construction of new draw towers and additional manufacturing lines. Similar efforts are being undertaken at Lucent's fiber cable facilities around the globe. Some 300 new jobs are expected to be created as a result of Lucent's fiber optic cable expansion program.
Lucent recently announced a $30 million optoelectronics expansion program which will quadruple output of its optoelectronic products. According to Gounot, Lucent also plans to invest nearly $1.5 billion in research and development in optical fiber and optoelectronics over the next three years to ensure a steady stream of optical innovations from Bell Laboratories.
With the dramatic success of its TrueWave and AllWave fiber offerings, Lucent said its fiber cable business is growing faster than the market -- as it continues to take share away from competitors. To date, Lucent has shipped 9 billion meters of TrueWave fiber -- three times more Non Zero Dispersion Fiber (high-bandwidth applications fiber for DWDM networks) than its nearest competitor.
Lucent is a world leader in the optical industry, covering virtually every market space within the industry, including fiber optic cable, optical networking systems and optoelectronic components. The company led the industry in the shift to new application-based fibers with its introduction of TrueWave Fiber in 1993. Lucent's AllWave Fiber was recently named as one of Industry Week Magazine's Technologies of the Year.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers the systems, software, silicon and services for next-generation communications networks for service providers and enterprises. Backed by the research and development of Bell Labs, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas such as optical and wireless networks; Internet infrastructure; communications software; communications semiconductors and optoelectronics; Web-based enterprise solutions that link private and public networks; and professional network design and consulting services. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at http://www.lucent.com. End.
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