Copied without permission from CNN web site.
Time to close the shop?
--vadim
Quantum device brings end to the
"World Wide Wait"
April 1, 1998
Web posted at 1:02 a.m. EST (0602 GMT)
NEW JERSEY (CNN) - A major technological breakthrough was announced today
by the research division of the leading telecommunication equipment manufacturer,
Lucent Technologies. The invention by Bell Laboratories scientist Dr. Mas Karud
makes existing communication equipment obsolete by providing a technique for
distance-insensitive instaneous communication.
"The possibility of such instaneous communication was accepted by scientific
community for a long time" says Dr. Karud. "The device we demonstrated today
exploits the quantum phenomenon known as Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox".
However, putting the quantum-based technique to practial use has proved elusive.
Dr. Kurad spent more than 10 years in search of ways to compensate for the inherent
unpredictability of quantum systems and slow down decay of the "wave function".
The device demonstrated by Lucent allows simulatneous interference-free communication
of at least ten billion of "stations" at speeds exceeding several billion bits
per second, or at least a million times faster than the modems commonly used to
access Internet. The most intriguing feature, however, is the absense of delays
and dissipation of signal with the distance. Dr. Karud explains that the quantum
wave functions "collapse" instaneously, seemingly violating one of the main
postulates of Einstein's general theory of relativity. The paradoxial nature of
such instaneous "collapse" discovered by Einstein made him to declare the quantum
mechanics invalid. However, the later research confirmed the basic principles
of quantum mechanics, making it one of the most important parts of the modern
science.
The announcement marks the beginning of the revolution in telecommunications,
declares Lucent. The entire industries of fiber optic and radio communications
are made obsolete by the amazing device. There's no longer any need to "route"
data and voice packets through many "switches" or "routers', since the users
will be able to communicate directly. "This is the end of the era of tyranny of
telecom dinosaurs" says Don Huboldt, telecom analyst at Wessels, Arnold & Heiss.
The shares of AT&T Corp. (T) were down 12-3/4, to 51-1/2, on the news of the
announcement, promting highly volatile trading in the entire telecom sector.
Vice President Al Gore congratulated the Bell Laboratories team in a telephone
call following the annoncement. "This is the best example of how steadfast commitment
of United States Goverment to supporting scientific research and education pays back
by making American nation the leader in innovation and technology" said Mr. Gore.
However, not everybody welcomed the news. The most outspoken was John Chambers,
the CEO of the Internet routing equipment vendor, Cisco Systems (CSCO). At the
hastily assembled press-conference he said that "it is time to close the
shop" for Internet router vendors. Representatives of 3Com Corp, Accend
Communications and Bay Networks declined to comment.
Shares of Lucent Technologies (LU) finished up 25-3/8 to 150-1/4 at Tuesday's
close.
