Optelecom facts for kids

Optelecom-NKF, Inc. is an American company that creates and sells special communication tools. These tools help send information very fast, like data, videos, and sounds, often using light through tiny glass fibers. They also make systems for businesses to share video and for financial markets to get important information quickly.

History of Optelecom-NKF

Early Days and Fiber Optics

The company started in 1974 as Optelecom. It was founded by William Culver and Gordon Gould. Their goal was to build products that used light to send information. They focused on fiber optic cables, which are like super-fast highways for data made of glass threads. They also worked with devices called optical amplifiers and lasers.

Before starting Optelecom, William Culver worked at IBM, a big computer company. Gordon Gould was a scientist at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. They both wanted to invent new ways to use fiber optics, especially for things like missile systems.

The Invention of the Laser

Many of the company's early products were based on Gordon Gould's amazing invention: the laser. Laser is a special word that stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." This means making light much stronger and focused. When he first thought of the laser, Gould wrote in his journal that it could be used for "communications, radar, etc." He knew it would be very important for sending messages and detecting objects.

Growing with New Technologies

In 1983, David R. Huber joined Optelecom. He helped create and get patents for new optical tools. These included better optical amplifiers and systems to send many different signals at once through one fiber optic cable.

Later, Optelecom helped David Huber start his own company, which was first called Hydralite, Inc., and then became Ciena Corp. William Culver explained that Ciena's goal was to make it possible for "a single, hair-thin cable to carry many signals simultaneously." He meant that many different light signals, each carrying information, could travel together through one tiny cable.

Becoming Optelecom-NKF

In April 2005, Optelecom changed its name to Optelecom-NKF. This happened because they bought another company called NKF Electronics.

Today, Optelecom-NKF makes communication products that send data, video, and audio very quickly. They use high-speed internet, Ethernet, and fiber optic cables. Their products are made in a special factory that meets high quality standards (called ISO-9001 certified). They also have a team of experts around the world to help their customers.

On January 27, 2011, a company from the Netherlands called TKH Group N.V. bought Optelecom-NKF.