Lynx signs channel partners

Lynx Photonic Networks has signed three new partners as distributors for its line of photonic switches.

Bert Technologies Inc., Choicecomm and Leonard Associates Inc. will distribute the Lynx LightLeader family of optical network switches. Lynx is beginning to make inroads into the federal market, but its strongest government implementation so far is with Israel's Ministry of Defense, said founder and chief executive officer Daniel Tal. U.S. government clients have requested anonymity, Tal said.

Although the basic technology for the photonic switch is 25 years old, the switches themselves are unfamiliar to most potential customers, Tal said. "The first thing you have to do is convince them that the photonic switch is the best solution," he said in a recent interview.

The switches are less expensive than conventional technology, he added, because they are more efficient at conveying data. Agencies need not throw away existing hardware in order to implement the photonic switches, he said.

"The whole concept is that it's an add-on," he said. "Nobody wants to throw away legacy equipment. Nobody wants to get involved in too heavy an integration effort."

The new distributors join several others that are in Lynx's stable already, including Digital Technology Inc. and MCC Sales. Lynx officials also have signed two Asian distributors for LightLeader -- South Korea-based 4urnet and a Taiwanese company called BBN.

Bert Technologies, based in Mill Creek, Wash., serves telecommunications carriers and developers in the Pacific Northwest. Choicecomm, in Mt. Airy, Md., targets the government and government contractors. And Leonard Associates, in Allentown, Pa., covers buyers in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

Woody Story, president and founder of Choicecomm, said the photonic switches are ideal for the government because they have no moving parts.

"Government customers had concerns about mechanical switching because the equipment is typically shipped around the world and reliability is critical," he said.