Taiwan's optical communication industry is growing fast and poised to play a greater role in the world market if locally made key components and materials possess superior quality, an expert said on Friday.
Liu Yung-sun, director of the Opto-Electronics and Systems Laboratories under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), made the remarks in a forum jointly sponsored by the ITRI and the Taiwan Optical Communication Industry Alliance.
Specialists from world famous companies, such as Telcordia, Lucent, Intel and Alcatel, also gave keynote speeches and discussed the industry's latest development trends.
According to Liu, the domestic industry has expanded quickly in recent years, with 96 companies now engaged in the sector, a jump from 39 companies five years ago.
Although the domestic industry now owns a stronger technology and a more competitive marketing network thanks to its past experience as a major contractor for many world-class big companies, Liu pointed out that Taiwan companies still need to upgrade the quality and supply chain of their key parts, components and materials.
Taiwan companies must further enhance the image and the quality of their products to meet buyers' requirements, he said.
An investigation made public by ElectroniCast Group shows that global demand for optical devises in 2003 rose by between 10 percent and 15 percent, while demand in 2004 will increase by between 25 percent and 30 percent.
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