Now he develops such profit-seeking wares as the Lambda Router, the world's first big all-optical switch, due later this year.

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But the optical switch takes the flickers of lights flashing by and, with the use of its micro-mirrors, redirects them from one optical fibre to another.

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At this temperature, the mirror was able to flip between high and low reflectivity over a million times a second suggesting that, if it can be kept reliably at this critical temperature, gallium will make a fast (and also small and cheap) optical switch.

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Moving to the front, the left earcup has a click button that allows you to switch from the optical input or the stereo input on the base, while the right cup controls the four EQ options that are available.

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Putting an electronic switch at the junction between two optical fibre cables slows the signal down.

ECONOMIST: Reinventing Marconi

Besides speed, the core switch, which is said to collapse optical and high-performance multiprotocol switching, is being positioned as a better way for companies to manage peak demand, as well as the different types of mobile, video, and landline traffic that must be managed efficiently.

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They are devising ways to send optical signals vast distances without the need for expensive electronic goosing, tinkering with mirrors to switch and bend light in new ways and trimming costs to open up entirely new parts of the telecom infrastructure.

FORBES: Hooked on photonics