JDSU Acquires Metconnex IP Portfolio
October 17 2006 - 9:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Further Strengthens ROADM Technology Leadership MILPITAS, Calif.,
Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- JDSU (Nasdaq: JDSU; and TSX:
JDU), the leading enabler of broadband and optical innovation,
today announced the acquisition of the technology and patent
portfolio of Metconnex Canada, Inc., a developer of wavelength
selective switch (WSS) modules. JDSU did not acquire any of
Metconnex's business operations. Under the terms of the agreement,
JDSU will acquire Metconnex's intellectual property (IP) for $2.5
million. In connection with the acquisition and the liquidation of
Metconnex, both parties agreed to dismiss all pending litigation
including litigation commenced by JDSU against Metconnex and
certain of its officers and employees for alleged violation of JDSU
patent and intellectual property rights. "We will continue to use
our extensive portfolio of patents and proprietary technology to
enable broadband and optical innovation in all parts of the world,"
said Matthew Fawcett, general counsel for JDSU. "JDSU's
intellectual property stems from the hard work, inspiration and
intelligence of our employees, and we are committed to protecting
it." WSS technology is central to JDSU's portfolio of
reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers, or ROADMs, which are
increasingly used by carriers to enable the rapid, cost-effective
roll-out of triple-play services. The addition of the Metconnex IP
further strengthens JDSU's ROADM leadership, expanding the most
comprehensive portfolio of IP-protected ROADM solutions for the
diverse long- haul and metro architectures demanded today. JDSU
offers the most comprehensive portfolio of ROADM, with products
based on each of three underlying technologies: liquid-crystal
based blockers, planar-lightwave-circuit (PLC) and
micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based WSS. ROADMs are an
integral part of the Agile Optical Network (AON), a flexible
network architecture that enables service providers to support the
bandwidth-hungry applications that are increasingly demanded by
their customers. "By the end of fiscal year 2006, JDSU had shipped
more than 9,000 ROADMs carrying traffic in both long-haul and metro
networks," said Mike Ricci, senior vice president of JDSU's optical
communications group. "Optical networks are evolving from
two-directional ring architectures, to free-form mesh architecture
of interconnecting optical circuits dependent upon ROADM- based
switching. With their unsurpassed reliability, JDSU ROADMs have
been selected by the vast majority of service providers worldwide."
"As the proliferation of triple-play services and rich media
content continues to drive bandwidth demand, most service providers
are future- proofing their networks by deploying, or planning to
deploy, meshed DWDM architectures," said Michael Howard, principal
analyst and founder, Infonetics Research. "ROADMs provide the
flexibility for service providers to cost- effectively deploy and
manage their agile optical networks. The benefits provided by a
mesh architecture include better economic efficiencies for
carriers, reliability, and the flexibility to ramp services to meet
growing consumer demand." About JDSU JDSU is committed to enabling
broadband & optical innovation in the communications,
commercial and consumer markets. JDSU is the leading provider of
communications test and measurement solutions and optical products
for telecommunications service providers, cable operators, and
network equipment manufacturers. Furthermore, JDSU is the leading
provider of innovative optical solutions for medical/environmental
instrumentation, semiconductor processing, display, brand
authentication, aerospace and defense, and decorative applications.
More information is available at http://www.jdsu.com/. The
statements contained in this press release that are not purely
historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, any statement or implication that JDSU will
develop and commercialize any products using or based on any of the
intellectual property acquired from Metconnex. Such forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that, if realized, could
materially impair the Company's results of operations, business,
and financial condition. These risks and uncertainties include, but
are not limited to, (a) the failure of JDSU to develop and
manufacture products based on or using such intellectual property
and (b) factors discussed from time to time in reports filed by the
Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The
forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made
as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume any
obligation to update or qualify any of the statements made herein.
Contact: investors, Jacquie Ross, Investor Relations, 408-546-4445
or http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050913/SFTU125LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: JDSU CONTACT: media,
Kathleen Greene, Public Relations, +1-408-546-5852, or , or
investors, Jacquie Ross, Investor Relations, +1-408-546-4445, or ,
both of JDSU Web site: http://www.jdsu.com/
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