Ocular Networks

Ocular Networks was a provider of optical network equipment founded in 1999 by Edward Kennedy. Based in Reston, Virginia, the company specialized in developing technology to improve data flow through fiber-optic networks. Its products were designed to enable local exchange carriers to transport both native data/IP traffic and legacy TDM-based data and voice traffic over a single switching fabric. This technology aimed to simplify networks and reduce costs by acting as an add/drop multiplexer, a digital cross-connect, and a Layer 2 data switch simultaneously.

The company's primary product was the Optical Service Xchange (OSX), a next-generation transport system that extended synchronous optical network (SONET) functionality to smaller offices and points of presence (POPs). This system was designed to help carriers increase network utilization, open new revenue streams from services like Ethernet over SONET, and lower both capital and operating expenses.

Ocular Networks secured significant private equity funding, raising a total of $50 million over two rounds from investors including Highland Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Columbia Capital, Comdisco Ventures, and JAFCO Ventures. In December 2001, Tellabs Inc. announced its intention to acquire Ocular Networks for approximately $355 million in cash and options. The acquisition was completed in January 2002, and Ocular Networks became the Tellabs Metro Networking Group, with its operations remaining in Reston.

Keywords: optical networking solutions, fiber-optic networks, data transport, SONET, Tellabs acquisition, metropolitan networks, local exchange carriers, single switching fabric, Edward Kennedy, Optical Service Xchange, digital cross-connect, Layer 2 data switch, Ethernet over SONET, venture capital, network equipment provider