NEWS BUSINESS
OPTOSCRIBE EXPANDS WITH £1.2M INVESTMENT
Scottish optoelectronic components start-up Optoscribe has received £1.2 million in investment. The fundraising was led by
Archangels, a prominent business angel syndicate that provided £825,000, supported by Edinburgh venture capital fund Par Equity with £325,000 of investment, and the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) which invested £50,000. Established in 2010 as a spin-out
from Heriot Watt University, Optoscribe has developed a unique process for making 3D photonic
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Nexans’ cables to bring internet to Amazon Rainforest
Nexans Norway is supplying submarine fibre optic cables to the Connected
Amazonia Program in Brazil to connect 4 million people to the internet. One of the largest submarine fibre projects in the world, the programme comprises 7,700km of cables to connect 52 municipal areas through five separate cable routes on and beneath riverbeds in the Amazon. As part of the project, 275km of Nexans
cables will be installed in riverbeds between Coari and Tefé. The entire network will be made up of five data highways: Upper Negro river, Upper Solimões, Madeira, Purus and Juruá. The Connected Amazonia Program aims to
Nicholas Psaila
waveguides. The technology enables Optoscribe to produce high- performance products that connect optical fibres with arrays of emitters or receivers, where space is limited and high-bandwidth connectivity is essential. Optoscribe already has
development contracts with a range of well-known technology companies, and supplies its products worldwide to these companies for research and development purposes. The investment will enable the company to invest in manufacturing facilities to scale up the business. Manufacturing will focus on
Optoscribe’s FCX Fiber Coupled InternconneX product line, which targets datacom transceivers. Optoscribe says its 3D waveguide technology allows integration configurations that are currently impossible to produce using planar waveguide approaches. ‘This investment round will enable
a significant transformation of Optoscribe, allowing the company to increase its capabilities substantially through hiring further experienced staff and an expansion to its manufacturing facilities,’ said Nicholas Psaila, CEO of Optoscribe.
8 FIBRE SYSTEMS Issue 12 • Summer 2016
bring high-quality internet connections to the State of Amazonas, not only to connect residents to the internet, but also to enable telemedicine, distance learning and greater interconnection between health, security and traffic services. The program aims to do this while minimising the environmental impact of the installation. To help preserve the fragile Amazon Rainforest
ecosystem, Nexans recommended and supplied cables that will not release harmful substances into the delicate river ecosystem. The fibre-optic cables from Nexans’ URC-1 family of cables also meet all international standards for submarine cables. The cables were manufactured at Nexans Norway, a specialist plant focusing on
high-performance ethernet solutions, and shipped to Brazil for installation. To handle the strong currents in the river that
occur year-round, a flat-bottomed barge will be used as the cable-laying vessel. For additional security, five support vessels will accompany the cable-laying barge. In the future, local teams with specialist tools can maintain the cables. Ragnar Vogt, director at Nexans Norway said:
‘To ensure the program got all the expertise we could offer, the Norwegian and Brazilian teams worked together to combine technological and local area knowledge. This project will do more than connect native people to the iInternet. It will bring investment, improved healthcare and better access to education to traditionally isolated regions.’
IPG Photonics enters module market with Menara acquisition
High-power fibre laser and amplifier specialist IPG Photonics plans to acquire Menara Networks, a provider of optical transmission modules and subsystems, as the company expands its range of telecom products. The cash purchase price is
US$46.8 million (€41 million), subject to closing adjustments. The deal is projected to close in the second quarter of 2016. Menara’s optical modules are
deployed by cable operators, carriers and data centres in North America and in selected international networks. The acquisition gives IPG a route into the growing market for pluggable optical modules and subsystems, while giving Menara access to IPG’s base of
international customers outside North America. ‘This acquisition broadens
and complements our telecommunications offerings… Together, we can offer our customers an expanded telecom technology platform with more integrated products with superior performance and economics,’ said Dr Valentin Gapontsev, IPG Photonics’ chairman and CEO. ‘The acquisition also affords IPG a better position to capitalise on the robust growth of optical networking driven by video and broadband access.’ ‘The ongoing shift to cloud
based services and infrastructure has placed unprecedented strain on data centres and telecom/cable
operators’ optical networks and presents a significant opportunity for Menara’s differentiated products,’ added Siraj Nour El-Ahmadi, Menara CEO, chairman and co-founder. IPG Photonics and Menara
Networks recently announced a partnership to provide an integrated solution for simplified repeaterless 100G DWDM transmission for metro and data centre interconnection. Menara’s management team,
including cofounders Siraj Nour El-Ahmadi and Salam Elahmadi, and other employees are planning to remain with the combined company. Menara Networks had
revenues of approximately US$21 million in 2015 and is profitable.
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