Fourteen Taiwanese networking manufacturers, representing approximately 25 percent of the global production of hardware for local area networks, have formed a consortium to promote the adoption of fiber-based solutions for local area networks. The consortium has adopted the VF-45 interconnect from 3M Telecom Systems Div. of Austin, Texas, as its standard and expects to ship products as early as June.

The manufacturers estimate that fiber-to-desk lines will increase from 5 million currently to 60 million in 2002, and that the market for fiber local area networks will expand from $5 billion to $20 billion in the same period. They expect to drive demand by lowering the costs of fiber-based systems by up to 50 percent.