• A Hybrid Conference – In-Person and Virtual Presentations
  • Technical Conference:  24 – 28 March 2024
  • Exhibition: 26 – 28 March 2024
  • San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, USA

Focus On The Future

By Herbert Merz


When a company prepares for a trade show, there is one overriding concern. It’s not the booth design or the meeting schedules, although that is important. You may be focused on a particular element of the business, or a presentation you’re giving, but ultimately we are all coming to the OFC/NFOEC for one goal: to talk and learn about the future of optical networks, and what that means to our customers.
 
As we were preparing for OFC/NFOEC we had a lot on our plate. We were not only getting ready to launch a new brand, but also making all the plans necessary to strike out on our own under the name Coriant.  In the process, it was important to me to take a step back every now and then to realize that we were not only talking about the future of our business, but also about the future of the optical networks industry. And the future is very bright from many perspectives.
 
First, from a growth standpoint, this year and the years ahead show a positive trend. Infonetics’ principal analyst Andrew Schmitt calls it the “optical reboot.” It will be driven by a need for new equipment and new expertise for managing the tremendously expanding data needs for operators and large institutions. That’s the industry foundation for growth, and I’ve heard it reinforced so far at OFC/NFOEC.
 
Let’s go one level deeper. We all know that 100G has started now, driven by mobility, video, and cloud services. What does that mean for us? Data traffic will become more unpredictable than ever, forcing customers to bring agility, capacity and flexibility to their networks. The challenge is to change from a static, hardware-centric infrastructure to more adaptable, software-defined optical networks that enable rapid delivery of end-to-end services. For end-users that means a better broadband experience, and for operators it means new revenue opportunities. I am looking forward to discussing with you how to best go about solving the challenges and realizing the opportunities that lie ahead – challenges and opportunities for all of us, and for Coriant.
 
New companies = the future. New technologies = the future. OFC/NFOEC = let’s talk about the future.
 
Herbert Merz is the designated president and CEO of Coriant.

Posted: 19 March 2013 by Herbert Merz | with 0 comments

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The views expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC)  or its sponsors.