Optelecom-NKF, Inc. is an American company that designs, manufactures, and markets high-bandwidth communications products, financial market data information, and business video systems.
History
The company was founded as Optelecom in 1974 by William Culver and
Gordon Gould
Gordon Gould (July 17, 1920 – September 16, 2005) was an American physicist who is sometimes credited with the invention of the laser and the optical amplifier. (Credit for the invention of the laser is disputed, since Charles Townes and ...
to build optical networking products utilizing
fiber optic cable
A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an electrical cable, but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with ...
, optical amplifiers and lasers. Today, it develops
fiber optic communications
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is pr ...
products and laser systems for commercial and military customers.
Previous to working together to form Optelecom, Culver was employed at IBM's Federal Systems Division, Quantum Electronics Department while Gould was working at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, (now the
New York University Tandon School of Engineering
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...
). The two sought to focus on inventing and developing a new breakthrough technology for fiber optics for missile systems.”
The firm’s products were based on Gould's invention of the optical amplifier and the laser -- his acronym for
''light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
'' On the day of his invention, he realized its potential in telecommunications, writing in his journal: “Brief statement of properties and possible uses of the Laser…..Applications to communications, radar, etc. are obvious.”
In 1983,
David R. Huber joined Culver and Gould at Optelecom, where he developed and patented optical amplifiers, optical multiplexed sensors, and a multiplexed optical data distribution system. Subsequently, Optelecom provided management, financial, and production assistance to Huber as a founding shareholder of Hydralite, Inc., later renamed
Ciena Corp. At the launch of Ciena, Culver explained the goal as enabling a “single, hair-thin cable to carry many signals simultaneously, with each one being piggybacked on a different frequency of light.” In the long run," Culver said at the time, "the new venture could become a very significant portion of Optelecom's business."
In April 2005, Optelecom changed its name to Optelecom-NKF as part of its acquisition of NKF Electronics. Optelecom-NKF products (communication products that transport data, video, and audio over high-speed internet, ethernet, and fiber optic cables) are produced in an ISO-9001 certified facility and supported by a global network of technical professionals and distribution partners.
Optelecom-NKF was acquired by TKH Group N.V. of Haakbergent, Netherlands on January 27, 2011.
References
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American companies established in 1974