On Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at the Westin Times Square in New York City, Light Reading, in association with Heavy Reading, will present detailed, practical content on optical networking infrastructure, markets, and technology, designed to educate attendees on how optical networking is evolving.

The content for The Future of Optical Networking will draw on original Heavy Reading research reports that provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis ever undertaken of the market, including the recent reports, “Carrier Sonet/SDH-to-Ethernet Transition Strategies” and “ROADMs and the Future of Metro Optical Networking.”

Key themes to be discussed include:

• Optical networks in the age of video – Both telcos and MSOs are now head-to-head video competitors. Their optical infrastructures will differentiate them and provide the means to evolve into more interactive IPTV services.
  
  
• The optical access network – Bringing fiber to the user is finally happening, though in many different forms, from various PONs to active Ethernet.
  
  
• The packet-enabled optical network – Convergence isn’t just happening in the IP core. It’s finally happening across the packet and optical networks, but not without its detractors and challenges.
  
  
• Agile optical networking – New component technologies and software control solutions are moving optical networks from nailed-up pipes to flexible infrastructures, creating new service opportunities for operators.
  
  

The one-day event will feature a keynote from one of the biggest names in optical networking, informative presentations, and lively panel discussions about all aspects of this growing and evolving market.

Additionally, the event will explore the details of Heavy Reading’s new optical market forecasts, which cover the entire spectrum of the optical transport market, including metro, regional, long-haul, and ultralong-haul WDM; multiservice Sonet/SDH systems; and carrier Ethernet transport systems. These forecasts draw upon a year’s worth of interviews with, and surveys of, leading network operators worldwide, in every region of the globe, and every class of carrier – to provide more than simple quantitative analysis and vendor market share, and instead focus on how fundamental network transitions are driving optical spending decisions.