On behalf of Light Reading's editors, I am pleased to announce this year's annual Leading Lights Awards shortlist.

Now in its 18th year, the Leading Lights is Light Reading's way of recognizing the innovation, technical and market achievements of the evolving global communications industry.

Before we get to the finalists, let me thank everyone who took the time to submit entries and tell us about the companies they work for and the products and strategies that make a difference in the industry. The competition within each industry segment is tough and we understand that there's no completely objective way to spotlight the unique merits of each company in the space we cover. We do our best to make the process fair; any company or individual who has made it this far should be proud.

The judging process

As noted above – and repeated on this site in various places – I know that the awards judging process is tough to understand; we know we're applying an objective methodology to a subjective process.

It is worth repeating that we simply can't put everyone through to the final round and, no, we have nothing against your company personally. Our team of editors worked hard to develop a list of finalists for this round. I'm engaging our network of industry analysts and subject-area experts to help us judge the finalists.

What's next

The Leading Lights winners will be announced via a special streaming video on Friday, December 2, 2022. You can register to see the awards presentation first or view it on www.lightreading.com later. We'll celebrate the finalists and winners at a cocktail party in New York City on Tuesday, December 6.

Figure 1:

The shortlist

Before that happens, we need to reveal the finalists our editors and guest judges have picked for the Light Reading Leading Lights Awards. The shortlist is below, so start scrolling:

5G Service Provider of the Year

Awarded to the network operator or other 5G service provider that had the best year ever.

5G Technology Vendor of the Year

Awarded to the 5G technology vendor or software provider that is a standout example of excellence.

Best New Video/Media Product or Service

Awarded to the company that has launched the most innovative streaming video or other media product or service during the past year.

Best Public-Private Partnership

Awarded to the organizations working together to expand broadband access and help narrow the digital divide for municipalities and community institutions, including school districts, nonprofits and other public sector organizations.

Company of the Year (Private)

Awarded to the privately held firm that stands out from its competitors, innovates constantly, makes investors proud and makes employees happy.

Company of the Year (Public)

Awarded to the publicly listed firm that stands out from its competitors, innovates constantly, makes investors proud and makes employees happy.

Most Innovative Broadband Access Solution

Awarded to the company that has launched the most innovative product or service to deliver high-speed broadband access via fixed wireless, satellite, fiber or cable.

Most Innovative Cloud Product or Service

Awarded to the service provider, cloud provider or vendor that has launched the most innovative cloud-native, communications-focused product or service during the past year.

Most Innovative Home Networking Solution

Awarded to the vendor or service provider that has launched the most innovative home networking devices or platforms in the past year.

Most Innovative Open RAN Product or Solution

Awarded to the vendor that has launched the most innovative open RAN product or solution during the past year.

Most Innovative Routing and Switching Solution

Awarded to the vendor that has launched the most innovative hardware- or software-based routing and switching solution for network operators.

Most Innovative Service Provider Transport Solution

Awarded to the optical systems vendor or optical components vendor providing the most innovative optical transport solution for service provider customers.

Outstanding Digital Enablement Vendor

Awarded to the next-generation OSS/BSS/CX, analytics or digital commerce systems vendor that stands out from its competitors, innovates constantly and helps set industry trends.

Outstanding Systems Integrator

Awarded to the vendor helping communications service providers modernize and manage their networks and businesses with innovative IT solutions.

Outstanding Test & Measurement Vendor

Awarded to the communications networking test and measurement, monitoring or assurance systems vendor that stands out from its competitors, innovates constantly and helps set the industry trends.

Outstanding Use Case: Broadband Deployment

Awarded to the company that has delivered an exceptional high-speed broadband access experience in the past year – via fixed wireless, satellite, fiber or cable.

Outstanding Use Case: Customer Experience

Awarded to the company that used its communications technology or network to deliver a superior customer experience.

Outstanding Use Case: Edge Computing

Awarded to the company that can articulate a compelling example of how it delivered edge computing solutions – either network- or customer-facing.

Outstanding Use Case: Innovative IoT

Awarded to the service provider or vendor helping change businesses and improve customer experiences with innovative Internet of Things devices and services.

Outstanding Use Case: Private Wireless Networks

Awarded to the company that can share the most compelling example of building and/or operating a private wireless network on behalf of a corporate or municipal customer.

Outstanding Use Case: SD-WAN

Awarded to the service provider or vendor that can articulate a compelling example where they helped to provide an exceptional SD-WAN service to a customer.

Outstanding Use Case: Service Provider AI

Awarded to the company that is innovatively using artificial intelligence to improve network performance, customer service or business operations.

Outstanding Use Case: Service Provider Cybersecurity

Awarded for a compelling example of a network operator or other service provider delivering exceptional security products or services.

Light Reading MVPs

Awarded to the communications industry individuals, at any corporate level, who made an unmistakable difference in their company, community, culture – or all three.

Congratulations to all of our finalists and, again, thanks to everyone who entered the Leading Lights.

— Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading