For the past few years, the news in telecommunications circles has been wavelength division multiplexing.
Now Commercial Technologies Corp. in Richardson, Texas, hopes to add a new catchphrase to the industry lexicon: code division multiple access. Applying the technology to an optical network creates up to 128 separate channels from one light source by blocking certain portions of light while allowing other portions to pass through unimpeded. The company said it plans to deliver the first optical network based on code division multiple access in 1999.