Fujitsu Network Communications reports that it was awarded 77 optical networking patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2011 alone, 35 more than the company receiving the second-most patents. Further, Fujitsu claims that its photonics research and development unit has been issued 447 patents since 2006 -- 40 more than any other optical technology provider.
The patents covered a variety of optical communications technologies, including next-generation reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology, 400G transport, and Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching.
“Fujitsu’s technology has been chosen by the largest communications operators in North America so it’s not surprising to see them being at the forefront of innovation,” remarks Ron Kline, principal analyst, network infrastructure telecoms, with market research firm Ovum.
Each year, Fujitsu says it invests more than $2.8 billion in R&D, with the aim of providing North America’s telecom carriers, multiple system operators (MSOs), and private and public-sector enterprises with technology that offers the high bandwidths, low latencies, uninterrupted availability, and security they require.
Ovum's Kline added, “The company’s substantial R&D investments are helping to move the communications industry toward the next generation in networking where multiple transport standards, protocols and transmission speeds coexist on a single, unified infrastructure.”
Fujitsu believes its technology leadership is fueling the company’s growing optical network market share in North America. According to Ovum, as of Q4 2011, the vendor owned 22% of the total optical transport and switching market, more than any other single provider.
See also:Report: Optical networking market down, but not out