5:00 PM -- Wanna help us play with our new toy?

Here's the deal. Network operators are under more pressure than ever to keep ahead of the competition when it comes to evaluating and deploying new technologies. But there always comes a point where they have to assess whether they are where they need to be, or are they falling behind the technology curve?

Well, we have something that may help. Light Reading and its Heavy Reading research unit have created a way to help you get a feel for where your company stands in the race to embrace the new technologies that will drive network operator performance and profitability in the years ahead. It's called the Benchmark Series, and its goal is to give you a better sense of how your company compares with the competition -- and the rest of the industry -- regarding emerging technologies.

Our first Benchmark program is aimed at Evolved Packet Core (EPC) technology. EPC is, after all, the linchpin for mobile networks moving into the 4G era, and mobile operators are now starting to crank up their efforts to understand EPC and the implications it has for their network plans.

So how does your company's EPC readiness measure up? To find out, just take a few minutes to complete our EPC Benchmark questionnaire by following this link:

www.lightreading.com/evolved-packet-core-benchmark-survey.asp

The fine print (and some free stuff)
Once you finish the Benchmark questions, you'll get immediate gratification -- we'll show you how your answers compare with your peers and you'll get an EPC readiness rating based on your results.

If you want a deeper understanding of what your results mean, in a broader context, you can register for a Heavy Reading report that will present and analyze the final EPC Benchmark results. We'll also have a special Webinar that will further explore EPC and the impact it will have on network operators.

Thanks to the sponsorship by Tellabs Inc. (Nasdaq: TLAB; Frankfurt: BTLA), the report and Webinar are free of charge. Your only investment is the time it takes to complete the Benchmark questionnaire.

So, go on, give it a try. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to assess your company's EPC readiness. And please do let us know how we can improve this type of project and provide you better benchmarking in the weeks and months ahead.

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