Optical equipment maker Accelight has reportedly chopped its Ottawa workforce as it responds to the same malaise gripping the rest of the telecom industry.
The company, based in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bridgeville, Penn., had about 160 of its roughly 210 staff in Ottawa as of August.
According to online industry publication Light Reading, the company has cut 100 of its Ottawa staff. Also, 26 of its 40 employees in Pittsburgh were cut, leaving it with about 89 staff in both locations.
A spokesman for the company said the report was inaccurate but would not provide additional information.
A statement from new president and CEO Jim Fultz said: "We, like many of our counterparts, are rationalizing our infrastructure to ensure that we are in a position to provide innovative technology well into the future.”
The Light Reading report also claims the cuts were made after Fultz failed to find a buyer for the startup.
Fultz was brought on board in August after co-founder Hyong Kim assumed the role of chairman of the company's board of directors.
Before taking the lead role at AcceLight, Fultz was president and CEO of Scion Photonics Inc., which was acquired by JDS Uniphase in April 2001.
Accelight ramped up its R&D operations in Ottawa in November 2001 when it secured a US$60 million round of venture capital.
The company develops photonic service switching systems for optical networks under the PhotoniX brand name.
The company, based in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bridgeville, Penn., had about 160 of its roughly 210 staff in Ottawa as of August.
According to online industry publication Light Reading, the company has cut 100 of its Ottawa staff. Also, 26 of its 40 employees in Pittsburgh were cut, leaving it with about 89 staff in both locations.
A spokesman for the company said the report was inaccurate but would not provide additional information.
A statement from new president and CEO Jim Fultz said: "We, like many of our counterparts, are rationalizing our infrastructure to ensure that we are in a position to provide innovative technology well into the future.”
The Light Reading report also claims the cuts were made after Fultz failed to find a buyer for the startup.
Fultz was brought on board in August after co-founder Hyong Kim assumed the role of chairman of the company's board of directors.
Before taking the lead role at AcceLight, Fultz was president and CEO of Scion Photonics Inc., which was acquired by JDS Uniphase in April 2001.
Accelight ramped up its R&D operations in Ottawa in November 2001 when it secured a US$60 million round of venture capital.
The company develops photonic service switching systems for optical networks under the PhotoniX brand name.
