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By Michel Comte
Originally Published: March 12th, 2001
By: Business In Vancouver
Company president adds her products provide cheaper
alternative
Despite a spotty reception so far, the world is ready to
embrace lasers as an alternative to other wireless
telecommunications technologies and fibre optics, says
Theresa Carbonneau, president and chief executive officer of
Fsona Communications Corp. The privately held Richmond
company launched its first optical wireless telecom products
two weeks ago after four years in development. Fsona is
packing the first 10 units now to ship throughout North
America and Europe for beta testing.
In May, Fsona's new 30,000-square-foot production facility
will start pumping out more units and with the help of an
unnamed multinational distribution partner, Carbonneau hopes
that sales will hit 800 units in their first year.
The company's three new laser products are for use over
distances ranging from 500 metres to four kilometres and
cost between US$10,000 and US$60,000. Each pair of laser
guns/receivers can be affixed to buildings or other
structures for point -to-point data transfer and
communication (see examples at www.fsona.com).
Since they started popping up in the last decade, lasers for
wireless communication over short distances have yet to
catch on because of their so-far limited usefulness in bad
weather and people's general skepticism about a device they
expect to see in a science fiction movie. But Carbonneau is
convinced people will give them a second chance in the wake
of a telecommunications funding meltdown in recent months,
she said.
The telecom industry veteran argues that telecommunications
companies saw their share prices slump since September in
part because the sector was overspending billions of dollars
to build expensive fibreoptic networks to meet a perceived
insatiable appetite for higher bandwidth. Now that money is
tight, cheaper alternatives to laying more fibreoptics, such
as wireless communication, look much more attractive, she
said.
"In general, this is a technology that has been overlooked,"
she said. "Now, we sort of fit into the retrench mode --
which is quite useful for us."
Bob Hastings, a telecommunications analyst at Raymond James
Ltd., said such laser technology has improved and become
more affordable lately, but he is still hesitant.
"It takes awhile for any new technology to be accepted and
people aren't going to screw around with their
telecommunications. An individual consumer might, but a
business isn't going to screw around with that until it's
been field-tested," he said.
Victoria-based telecommunications management consultant
Peter Aggus said he looked at using lasers on a few
occasions, but each time his customers rejected the idea in
favour of using fibreoptic links for their corporate
communication and data transfer needs. In comparing the
technology to wireless radiowave communication, he said
lasers are better because they do not require government or
regulatory licensing to install (unlike most wireless
devices) and offer higher bandwidth than radio. But lasers
require an unobstructed line of sight between terminals and
severe rain or fog can cut a connection, so a backup system
is required.
"Lasers shooting from building to building are shooting
through fog the same way car headlights shoot through fog.
The newer ones are less susceptible to that sort of problem
[but it still exists]," he said. In the end, Aggus said the
biggest hurdle for lasers to overcome is how they are still
viewed with suspicion.
"People understand radio equipment and fibreoptics. There is
more comfort with something you've worked with for years,
whereas the laser stuff is a bit Star Wars-ish in some
people's minds," he said. Investors in Fsona do not seem
worried. The private company has raised $40 million since
June 1999, with a good chunk flowing into its bank account
in November. Royal Bank Ventures Inc. and Growthworks
Capital Ltd. pitched in money first, followed by a handful
of U.S. venture capital firms.
Fsona was originally created in April 1997 when Carbonneau
obtained a licensing agreement for the optical laser
technology from her former employer, British Telecom, in
exchange for a five-per-cent interest in the new company. A
year ago, Fsona had only five employees, all working out of
their homes. Now, the company has 70 employees and a
research and development office in Los Angeles.
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