Corning Predicts Continued Growth

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 20 -- Corning Inc., at its annual OFC breakfast, said that it expected growth in the industry to continue, just not as fast as it did in 2000. The company sees the worldwide fiber market growing by 20 percent and the worldwide photonics market growing by 10 to 20 percent

Gerald J. Fine addresses attendees at Corning Inc.'s breakfast meeting.

According to Alan T. Eudsen, Corning senior vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Fiber, the market grew at about 50 percent last year -- the highest ever. In 2001, Eudsen said, the growth rate should return to prior levels. In any case, he added, Corning's capacity is already sold out.

As to photonic components, Gerald J. Fine, executive vice president and general manager of Photonic Technologies, said that the company sees that market growing by 10 to 30 percent in 2001. Long-term, the outlook is more in the 50 percent range, with submarine at 40 percent and metro reaching 100 plus, while starting from a lower base.

The company also presented an overview of its activities in the optical networking device arena

Corning executives Mark A. Newhouse, Alan T. Eudsen and Gerald J. Fine answer questions from the attendees at Corning's annual breakfast.

"One of the cardinal principles of our optical layer strategy is integrated innovation," said Mark A. Newhouse, vice president and general manager of the division. Newhouse pointed out that the focus is on extending the transparent optical frontier - including the elimination of non-value-added-optical to electrical-to-optical conversions in communications networks.