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810M Optical Transmission System (1985)

Breaking into the U.S. market through technical strength

Photo of 810M Optical Transmission System

In 1981, U.S. telephone company AT&T held an international bid for the world's first intercity long-distance optical transmission system, which would link Boston, New York, and Washington. Fujitsu submitted a bid to build a 135Mbps optical transmission system, which had yet to be commercialized, for the large-scale project that would stretch for 900km. While Fujitsu's bid was selected, Fujitsu did not end up receiving the order due to political concerns over U.S. national security. The proceedings, however, received extensive press coverage and Fujitsu's technological capabilities became increasingly recognized in the U.S.
As a result, in 1982, Fujitsu was asked by U.S. telecommunications company MCI to build the same system that it had offered to build for AT&T, this time in New York. Afterwards, Fujitsu developed and delivered state-of-the-art 405Mbps, 810Mbps, and 1.8Gbps optical transmission systems to support MCI's network expansion, contributing to the construction of America's telecommunications infrastructure. The 810M optical transmission system, delivered in 1985, was one such system.