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OFC/NFOEC 2008 saw a revival of sorts in the optical communications industry. Alongside solid acceptance of 10-Gig and 40-Gig and ROADM, there was surprising talk of 100 Gig and WDM PON. Several startups touted the benefits -- and some prototypes -- of silicon photonics, which promise lower cost, lower power consumption, and lower component footprint. And what would a fiber optic conference be without speculation about low margins, lack of investment, and the push for consolidation? All of that and more from San Diego!
The optical communications industry is back on the rise, but this time it’s the consumer who is driving the networks’ needs for agility and innovation. Applications such as YouTube and Facebook are creating ever more unpredictable stresses on the network, but how are the equipment providers responding? Is photonic integration the answer on the road to 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s networks? LRTV looks at what lies in the future for the optical industry with JDSU’s David Gudmundson, NSN’s Hans-Juergen Schmidtke, and Heavy Reading’s own Sterling Perrin.