PAN, which was demonstrated at the Comdex trade show in 1996, showed how two people could transmit business-card details to each other electronically, via a handshake.

ECONOMIST: The human body as a computer bus

Jim Parmalee, an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, says the companies products will be "best in class" because they will be able to transmit light for 4000 kilometers without being regenerated electronically, which will mean a dramatic reduction in both operating and capital costs for managers of optical networks.

FORBES: Corvis' IPO