October 9, 2000

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Laser Networks: A Cheaper, High-Bandwidth Alternative

Lasers Link Line-OF-Sight buildings in metropolitan areas, with weather work-arounds

By Bob Wallace

More on lasers:

InternetWeek: Wireless Lasers Come Into Focus (10/2/00) EETimes: Emcore laser arrays aim at high-speed comms (10/2/00) EETimes: Free-space optical net enters fiber-to-curb fray (10/2/00)

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asers, long an icon in science-fiction movies and more recently used for corrective eye surgery, now let companies link local offices and create metropolitan-area networks. Equipment that uses the technology offers IT managers faster, higher bandwidth, and is a cheaper alternative to dealing with telephone companies and fiber networks.

"We needed to provide 100-Mbps Ethernet to a new office in three weeks so workers could access banking applications on servers at our main site, but we couldn't wait months for fiber," says Steve Wood, VP of telecommunications for bank Chase H&Q, a division of Chase Securities Inc. in San Francisco. "Installing laser dishes on camera tripods inside building windows was simple."

Chase H&Q was already using point-to-point laser systems from Optical Access Inc. to link three closely grouped sites before implementing the vendor's new Optical Access Mesh package to connect to the new office and create a laser network.

Laser systems due out next week from Optical Access and current offerings from its rivals, TeraBeam Networks Inc. and AirFiber Inc., let companies make a low, one-time capital expenditure for high-bandwidth, wire-free connections. The technology is cheaper than paying monthly fees to a telephone company--that is, if a telephone company can come up with a comparable offering delivered over fiber in a time frame that meets or beats an IT manager's needs. Also, laser systems don't require frequency licenses or towers, as do many microwave links.

The Optical Access Mesh package provides equipment that lets IT managers bring together multiple point-to-point laser links, running at 100 Mbps for about two miles, into what the company calls a meshed network. This offers greater reliability, because sites can have connections to more than one location in the event that one link goes down.

The package also addresses a key limitation of laser systems--their susceptibility to being disrupted or knocked out by fog. Optical Access offers an optional microwave component that supports a 10-Mbps backup link in an unlicensed band until the fog passes. Still, the microwave component is susceptible to interference by heavy rain. Other imitations to laser systems include the need for a clear line of sight between buildings, and getting approval from building owners to mount dishes on rooftops.

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