Industry News
2014 OFC Hosts Optical fiber Communications Exposition with 550+ Companies
2014 OFC Hosts Optical fiber Communications Exposition with 550+ Companies The Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exhibition (OFC) 2014 takes place on 9-13 March (exhibits are open 11-13 March) at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, California (US). It is a comprehensive international event for both the science and business of optical communications. This year, more than 12,000 attendees are expected from around the globe, along with 550 exhibiting companies (47% based outside the US) and more than 800 technical and business presentations. OFC 2014 will host the entire scope of optical communications, providing technical programming, exhibits and other activities for all audiences from systems and components manufacturers to service providers, carriers and enterprises. The OFC 2014 exhibition features: exhibits from leading companies, three Exhibit Hall theatres of business programming and local representation from more than 100 California-based companies on the show floor. Complimentary exposition floor programming highlights include: • Market Watch (11-13 March): A three-day series of panel sessions engages the applications and business communities in the field of optical communications. Presentations and panel discussions feature esteemed guest speakers from the industry, research and investment communities. • Service Provider Summit (12 March 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.): Topics of interest to CTOs, network architects, network designers and technologists within the service provider and carrier sector. Keynote speaker Randy Nicklas, executive vice president engineering and chief technology officer at Windstream, will present A Division of Labor: The Evolving Roles of Packet Optical and OTN Technologies at Windstream. • The Buzz – A Real-time Look at the News and Trends Happening at OFC 2014 (12 March 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.): This session will feature real-time analysis of the 2014 OFC show floor buzz, including analysis of exhibiting companies’ on-site news announcements and what they mean to the industry. • How Software Defined Networking Will Alter Optical Transport (12 March 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.): This presentation addresses the efforts underway in the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) to support optical transport networks. Software Defined Networking (SDN) has gained significant traction in the data centre, primarily motivated by rapid adoption of cloud technologies Expo Theatre II Programming • OIDA Review of Roadmaps for the Optical Communications Market and National Photonics Initiative Overview (11 March 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.): The panel will include an update on the National Photonics Initiative’s effort to support optical communications and will also review and compare current technology roadmaps for optical communications. • The Future of the Metro Core: A New and Innovative Approach to Delivering Scalable, Yet Simplified (11 March 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.): Three presentations addressing the new technologies and architecture that will lead to a more agile and dynamic metro core. • The Art and Science of NPI Operations in the Fibre Optic and Telecommunications Industry (12 March 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.): Intense competition and shorter market windows are necessitating fibre optic and telecommunications companies to execute flawlessly in their new product endeavours, including New Product Introduction (NPI) operations. The panel discussion will underscore the art and science of blending the global coordination of talent, preparation, technology transfer, managing diversities across cultures, establishing contingency plans, processes and systems. • SDN 2.0 Is Here. What Have We Learned? (12 March 12:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.): Software-defined networking (SDN) has often been a source of confusion in the networking industry. What is an SDN controller? Is a controller an abstract definition of the SDN control paradigm? What are the SDN applications that garnered the most traction so far? What are the drivers? This program will address these questions and shed light on the state of the network industry. • Passive Optical LAN (13 March 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.): Service providers and building owners must decide on what solution is best for deploying fibre-based LANs. This session will explain what a passive optical LAN is and the benefits it provides to LAN owners and operators. • POF Symposium (13 March 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.): The Plastic Optical Fibre Trade Organisation (POFTO) is organising a POF Symposium during OFC 2014 that will cover recent developments in POF technology, applications, technical standards, industry progress and new markets. Expo Theater III Programming • Advancing Optical Solutions in Cloud Computing, Communications and Networking (11 March 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.): Cloud computing already has widespread impact across how we access today’s applications, resources and data. Yet many issues around cloud computing need to be addressed, including but not limited to security, reliability, architecture and economics. In this session sponsored by the IEEE Cloud Computing Initiative (CCI), panellists will discuss open issues and solutions for cloud computing, communications and networking. • Workshop on Photonic Start-ups and Entrepreneurship (12 March 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.): The photonics industry continues to be a dynamic market in which innovation takes place at a breathtaking pace. Much of this innovation is driven by start-up companies. The aim of this workshop is to provide practical guidelines and dos and don’ts by featuring a number of seasoned entrepreneurs who tell their stories. The focus of the presentations is to share key insights and lessons learned that are useful for any entrepreneur wanting to start a company or develop a new business. • Harnessing Optical Layer Flexibility with SDN Intelligence (13 March 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.): Optical layer flexibility has increased significantly in the last several years with technology advances such as CDC ROADMs, photonic mesh and FlexiGrid. Layer 0 intelligence portends to increase even further in the future.
