To staff the facility, Lucent's Bell Labs organization plans to hire between 30 and 60 technology experts over the next two to three years. According to Eiichi Shimizu, president of Lucent's Global Service Provider business in Japan, Lucent will recruit from Japan's leading business, high technology and academic communities. Lucent will provide Optical Network Units, which will be installed near or in homes, as well as Optical Line Terminals, which will be installed at NTT central offices. Shimizu said Lucent's decision to establish a PON research organization in Japan is part of the company's ongoing commitment to moving research and development closer to customers.
Optical fibers can carry data much faster and more efficiently than electrical wires.
Last October, Lucent established a Bell Labs presence in Japan at the Yokosuka Research Park in Kanagawa. At Yokosuka, Lucent technical experts have been working closely with NTT DoCoMo to create wideband CDMA wireless systems and reduce the time to commercial deployment, so that service providers can quickly build their networks and realize revenues. Bell Laboratories, Lucent's research and development arm, has a world-renowned tradition of research and development excellence and is one of the world's leaders in technological innovation. The organization has received over 25,000 patents since 1925 and today averages three patents per business day. Lucent's Internet telephony servers, Internet call centers, and Intuity TM universal messaging systems are also sold in Japan.