Frequently Asked Questions

We are frequently asked what the suffix ‘-C’ means in our part numbers.

Simply put, the ‘-C’ means that our product is a Compatible version of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) part number.

For example

Cisco® Part Number: SFP-10G-SR

ATGBICS® Part Number: SFP-10G-SR-C

This method of part numbering gives our clients the assurance that they will be supplied the fully tested, 100% compatible, MSA Compliant version of the OEM part.

What does MSA Compliant mean?

Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) is a multi-vendor specification that defines the form factors and interfaces of an optical transceiver. Manufacturers adhere to MSAs to ensure interoperability and interchangeability between interface modules. This enables compatible manufacturers such as ATGBICS to provide compatible solutions to the same specification as the OEM.

With the assurance of quality, reliability and compatibility, our clients are reaping the benefits of buying compatible alternatives to OEM with significant cost savings, shorter lead times and exemplary customer service.

In short you can be sure that all our products are:

• 100% Compatible
• Fully Tested
• Backed By A Lifetime Warranty
• Conform To ALL Industry Standards & Protocols
• Each Product Uniquely Serialised And Traceable
• Up to 90% cheaper than the OEM alternative but equal in performance & reliability
• With lead times of days not weeks or months
• Easy to ensure compatibility. Our SKUs are equivalent to the OEM SKU suffixed with ‘-C’ to denote ‘compatible’

We offer a number of buying options to suit all customer requirements. Buying otions are detailed below:

• Our Global Distribution Partner Digi-Key offers our complete line card. You can purchase from their US site or select the site of your country.
• Our alternative distribution partners are Sourceengine and Kruse
• Escrow is available via NetCOMPONENTS
• You can purchase directly from our website ATGBICS. We ship globally. Stocked items ship within 1 working day, non-stocked items within 10 working days.
• For volume orders, project support and
  evaluation, contact us directly. We offer trading accounts
  for regular buyers and will happily support you with your project requirements.

If you don't know the OEM part number, feel free to contact us for configuration support. Alternatively OEM websites offer good configuration support, many of which can be found on our OEM compatibility information page. If in doubt, please ask. We are happy to help you ensure you order to correct product.

Our stock turn rate from manufacture to sale averages 120 days. Therefore, 99% of our stock has been manufactured within the previous 120 day period. Some legacy parts will of course be longer.

All product date codes are logged by serial number so although we do not publish date codes as standard for our inventory, we can easily provide this upon request.

As a leading global brand of optical network connectivity products, ATGBICS by Approved  Technology is committed to meeting all compliance and regulatory standards for our products. The environmental and safety requirements of RoHS, CE, EMC, REACH and FCC are fully met by all our optoelectronics products. We work with a fully accredited testing centre in the country of origin of our products. Our certifications are freely available for download.

Absolutely. We only work with a carefully vetted range of select partners. This ensures we have full confidence and traceability of all our products. We can usually source what our customers require from these partners.

Please contact us with your specific requirements and we will happily ensure you can order from us.

Yes, absolutely. We offer a range of different customisation services for our Transceivers, Direct Attach, Active Optical and Fibre Cables.

Because every customer's requirements are different, please contact us to discuss your requirements. We will then provide you with a quotation and lead times.

Absolutely not. Using ATGBICS products will NOT invalidate your warranty. OEMs cannot stipulate that only their products be used within their OEM systems in order to retain warranty. This would contravene anti-trust laws and it violates the Magnuson-Moss Act Warranty Act. This is a common misconception that prevents many customers from saving money by purchasing high quality compatible products such as ATGBICS.

What does this mean to you?

With our Faulty Replacement & Lifetime Warranty guarantee, you are 100% covered in any scenario.

If a system has an issue and an OEM service warranty call is made, the OEM service professional will diagnose the system error. In the unlikely event that the engineer reports a defective ATGBICS component, we will replacement the product overnight and have the system up and running immediately. If the diagnosis reports a different issue, the OEM service professional is required to honour the warranty and fix said issue. In the end, you are 100% covered either way.

Absolutely, if you wish to purchase more than 10 units of any single product please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Yes we do. We offer product evaluation on a 30 day sale or return basis. Simply place your order in the usual way. Clearly state that you are ordering on a product evaluation basis on the order instructions box in the shopping cart and we will process the order as a sale or return product evaluation.

Alternatively please contact us to discuss your project requirements in more detail.

We always aim for make sure our customers love our products, but if you do need to return an order, we’re happy to help.

Please refer to our flexible Refund Policy for full details.

We offer a lifetime replacement warranty on all of our ATGBICS products. This includes Transceivers, Direct Attach Cables, Fibre Cabling, Rackmount Equipment.

Where we supply other vendor products we offer their standard warranty.

Our full warranty statement is available here.

Yes, absolutely. We can ship plain label direct to your client. Simply state your requirement clearly on the order instructions box in the shopping cart and we will process the order according to your instruction.

We ship worldwide. We keep our shipping options and costs simple.

Delivery costs and timescales can be found in our Shipping Policy

Yes, we ship worldwide.

Please refer to our Shipping Policy for our competitive cost structure.

As soon as we process your order you will receive notification of dispatch along with a tracking reference. You can track your order with the courier by clicking on the tracking reference link.

If your order does not arrive as expected, please contact us and we will be happy trace the product for you.

We currently use UPS and FEDEX for all our deliveries.

Tracking details are provided as soon as the order has been processed.

Once the order has been processed you cannot change delivery details online. However please contact us as soon as possible and we will endeavour to change the details for you.