As the global communications sector is undergoing a radical transformation -- fueled by new technologies and trends such as 4G, cloud, 100G, all-IP networks, Web applications, software-defined networking (SDN), and network functions virtualization (NFV) -- we thought it was about time that Light Reading underwent a transformation of its own.
After all, Light Reading has been around since 2000, when Ethernet was making its way into wide area networks, the mobile market was getting caught up in the hype around 3G (a full 2Mbit/s downlink if you climbed up a mobile mast with a Motorola handset that weighed half a ton), and Battlefield Earth was stinking up movie theaters.
Since then, while the site has undergone some upgrades and design alterations, it's not that much different from 13 years ago.
But the market has changed dramatically, as has the way the telecom community gets its information. So we've undertaken an extensive overhaul of Light Reading to introduce a new design (including the new logo, below) and new features with the aim of delivering greater multimedia engagement and encouraging greater interaction between everyone involved in this incredibly important industry of ours.
Being the catalyst for interaction between Light Reading community members has been a critical driver behind the changes we have introduced. That's because it's not just the industry that has changed -- the way individuals and teams discover and share information has changed during the past decade too. The editorial team here at Light Reading still plays an important role in highlighting news and trends that we believe are of interest -- that's why we've revamped the way we present our articles, providing specific areas of the site for hot topics such as 100G, NFV, small cells, policy and charging, vectoring, DOCSIS 3.0, M2M … there's a lot to find out about.
But it's not just about us. You -- yes, YOU -- are a critical source of information who can help your colleagues and peers in their daily working lives. It's always useful and interesting to listen to the views of other people in the industry when you meet them at trade shows, conferences and other industry gatherings, and to share your views with them, right? Well, that interaction can also happen online, at Light Reading, particularly during our own events such as the upcoming Ethernet & SDN Expo (October 2-3).
Take a look around the site and you'll find not only written contributions from industry executives, who are sharing their views with you through their own blogs, but also plenty of useful insight on our message boards. In addition, further new features will be introduced in the coming months that will encourage even greater interaction, including the Light Reading University.
So, help us to help you. Get involved! Share your thoughts; have some fun! And let us know what you think about the 'new' Light Reading.
— Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading