AT&T Co has launched two data transceivers – simultaneous transmitters and receivers – that adhere to the Fibre Distributed Data Interface standard. The FDDI standard defines electrical characteristics of fibre optic local area networks but not the physical connections or pins by which components are mounted in systems and linked to the information-processing components of a fibre system. The 1402A ODL FDDI Transceiver guarantees the developer pin array compatibility for FDDI transceivers from AT&T, Siemens and Hewlett-Packard. Use of the 1403A ODL FDDI Transceiver, with a different pin array, facilitates a design transition from employing separate or yoked transmitters and receivers to a lower-cost design on the same board now employing a unitary transceiver. In quantities of 1,000 or more, the 1402A ODL FDDI Transceiver and 1403A ODL FDDI Transceiver cost $413 apiece.
