Networld interviews E2O Communications' President and CEO HC Lee

When it comes to fiber optics, what products will be hottest this year?
Small form factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers for Fiber Channel applications. This product is only half the size of the conventional GBIC module and can double the port density in customers' equipment.

What new products will we see from E2O?
E2O has announced a series of small form factor transceiverswithin our SFP-LC product family which includes transceivers that operate at 1.06Gbps and 2.12Gbps. E2O also plans to announce our parallel link product family in the third quarter of this year.

What makes E2O different?
People! We believe that we have the very best people for VCSEL development, transceiver design, volume manufacturing, and sales and marketing. I am very proud of our people, all of whom are industry veterans with excellent track records and credentials. I also believe that our experience in transceiver manufacturing and the commitment we've made to developing production capacity will enable us to stand out by providing quality products for the required industry volumes.

Why do you think E2O can compete with so many larger, well established companies?
Within the datacom market, customers demand high quality products at low prices together with timely delivery. There are no guarantees of business for anyone in this business, new or established. But, by moving quickly, maintaining our flexibility, and delivering valuable, cost-effective solutions to our customers in a timely fashion, we believe we are well positioned to compete with any industry player, large or small.

How would you compare E2O's position to that of its competitors?
We have a lot of respect for our competitors and colleagues in this business. Our strength lies in our strong VCSEL technology development capabilities, our well-defined product roadmap, and our proprietary long wavelength VCSEL device platform which is unique within the industry.

What was the most significant event for E20 this past year?
Demonstrating our long wavelength VCSEL with DFB-like performance.

How do you see the next year for your industry?
I expect there will be considerable consolidation within the datacom market as only a few players will ultimately be able to meet market demand for product quality, price, and timely delivery.

Which companies will lead the charge?
You will see E2O come out as a very strong player in all new product introductions.

What will be your greatest challenge this coming year?
Attracting and retaining the best people available is a challenge we all face. To continue to bring on personnel of the caliber of our current team which includes Dr. Jeff Tsao from Sandia National Lab, Dr. Wenbin Jiang, formerly a key member of the Motorola Optobus team, and Bob Angelini and Keith Gordon, who were top sales executives with Agilent and Molex, respectively prior to joining E2O will be tough. However, we believe that our industry positioning, our product design, development, and manufacturing capabilities and the opportunity to join a company positioned for significant growth and leadership will help in this effort.