PARIS and SOMERSET, N.J., April 17 -- Alcatel Optronics, producer of opto-electronic components for telecommunications systems, and Multilink Technology Corp., provider of semiconductor-based solutions, have formed a partnership to develop next-generation transceivers. The companies said they will will integrate Alcatel Optronics' optical components with Multilink's high-speed electronic devices to deliver a cost-effective, compact DWDM transceiver solution for the core telecommunications network. They said it will be among the first in the industry to address the long-haul, ultralong-haul and submarine networks. The initial product will be a 10 Gb/s optical transceiver; Alcatel will be the first customer.