About Dowslake
Dowslake Microsystems designs, develops and markets a series of system-ready modular optical Digital Signal Processors (optical DSP's) based on its Programmable Optical Processor (POP) (™) platform for the companies developing metro and long haul optical network systems.

Founded in October 2000, the Company is a fiber-optic startup with the mission to create POPs, a hybrid blend of the latest fiber optic component technology and the power of DSP. The optical DSP's from Dowslake will enable the system companies to develop agile metro and long haul optical systems so that service providers who deploy these optical systems in their networks can dynamically maximize the utilization of their WDM capacity. The POP is an embedded optical solution consisting of extensive firmware, and flexible and easy to configure communications software to enable system developers to readily integrate it into their systems. The optical system with highly integrated, plug-n-play POP allows service providers to obtain fiber-optic performance dynamically at the click of their mouse.

Dowslake Microsystems, located in Santa Clara, California is funded by Storm Ventures and eGarden and currently employs 20+ development engineers.

Hybrid digital-optical Technology
Positioned in the space between the metro and long haul systems companies such as Nortel, Cisco or Ciena, and module and component vendors such as JDSU or Corning, Dowslake creates a new hybrid digital-optical technology to provide benefits to optical system houses and the component vendors.

By providing system-ready cards to metro and long haul systems companies, Dowslake provides benefits to both the systems houses as well as to the component vendors.

The benefits to the optical systems companies:

1. Advanced optical DSP provides unprecedented real-time monitoring and processing capability allowing the system companies to build more intelligent systems which in turn allow service providers to manage their network dynamically and more efficiently and provide more value to their end-users.
2. Extensive software features of the POP allow service providers with remote access for re-configuration eliminating the cost and the need for manual field re-configuration.
3. System-ready, optical subsystem simplifies system upgrades thereby enabling service providers to provide new features and capabilities to end-users faster.
4. System-ready packaging shortens system development effort and time-to-market.

The benefits to component developers:

1. Faster feedback on component performance and improvements
2. Free up time to focus on their core competence, the fundamental technology

POP1000 Debuts at SuperComm
Dowslake will introduce its first product, POP1000, a programmable wavelength processor based on its POP platform at SuperComm in Atlanta in June 2001. POP1000, a programmable wavelength processor, is the first in the series of programmable optical processing (POP) (TM) products that combines several utility functions required in an optical system into one card. As a ready-to-go solution, it provides unprecedented real-time monitoring, reporting and channel power compensation capability allowing the system companies to build intelligent and complex carrier-grade WDM metro and long haul optical systems which in turn allow service providers to deploy manage their network dynamically, more efficiently and offer more value to their end-users.

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Based on optical DSP technology, the POP processes optical wavelengths (such as routing and compensation) for the purpose of dynamic bandwidth allocation and comes in the system-ready packaging. It enables agile networks, shortens system development effort and time-to-market for the system houses. The optical systems incorporating Dowslake's POP1000 allows service providers to remotely configure, manage, control, and monitor wavelengths, link transient and channel quality on a real-time basis eliminating the cost and the need for manual field re-configuration while simplifying system upgrades.