Trellis Photonics of Columbia Maryland, which recently introduced its Intelligent Lambda Switch, which Trellis describes as the industry's first all-optical switch for high-speed DWDM networks, announced strategic investments of $25 million in a round led by Carlyle Internet Partners Europe with participation from Agilent Technologies Inc., Enron Broadband Services, and Anschutz Investment Company, as well as Trellis' existing shareholders contributing additional capital. Existing public and private investors include Yozma 2 Fund, Skypoint, a Canadian venture capital fund, Chase Equity Associates, a division of Chase Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Capital and Crescendo Ventures.

The Trellis announcement quoted Timothy Cahall, CEO, as saying the funding would enable Trellis to begin shipping product in 2001. Trellis claims a breakthrough in switching technology for the dynamic routing of multiple wavelengths between optical networks, based on an electroholographic technique developed by Professor Aharon J. Agranat at the California Institute of Technology and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.