OPTICAL COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY TO CONVENE IN SAN DIEGO FOR OFC/NFOEC

International event features latest innovations, research and applications impacting the business and consumer sides of optical communications

WHAT:		OFC/NFOEC 2008, optical communication’s largest conference and exposition, will feature high-technology and business discussions. Leading California-based companies will be among the 600 international exhibitors displaying technologies and discussing topics of interest, such as ways to provide a stronger technical backbone for the public network, including advancements in optical systems, devices and equipment.

WHEN:		Feb. 24-28 (exhibits open Feb. 26-28)

WHERE:		San Diego Convention Center, San Diego

WHO:		Nearly 50 exhibiting companies from Southern California. OFC/NFOEC 2008 is the place to be to hear the latest news from the leaders of the optical communication industry. San Diego-area-based companies will present at the following sessions: Univ. of California at San Diego, Stojan Radic Sunday, Feb. 24 SC312 - Parametric Optical Processing and Systems (4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Univ. of California at San Diego and Lucent Technologies, Stojan Radic, Colin J. McKinstrie Monday, Feb. 25 OMA - Optical Parametric Amplifiers (8 a.m. - 11 a.m.) L-3 Photonics, Steve W. Braun Wednesday, Feb. 27 JWA120 - Hybrid WDM Ring-Bus Optical Network (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Univ. of California at San Diego, Philip Papadopoulos, Brian Dunne, Larry Smarr, Joseph Ford, Shaya Fainman Thursday, Feb. 28 OThI2 - Transparent WDM Networks (1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.) For an advance copy of these presentations, contact media@ofcconference.org.

BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS:

OFC/NFOEC will deliver exclusive and timely programming for the 15,000 people expected to attend the conference. Here’s a preview:

OFC/NFOEC 2008 Plenary Session, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, featuring:
- Bob Metcalfe, general partner, Polaris Ventures;
- Herwig Kogelnik, adjunct photonics systems research vice president, Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent;
- Pieter Poll, chief technology officer, Qwest Communications Corporation, Inc.

•••••• •Join these industry leaders for a unique perspective into today’s business realities.

Market Watch: Business and Technology - This three-day series of panel sessions, held Feb. 26-28, 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. Companies presenting include Avanex, Intel, Incubic, Mintera, Morgan, Keegan & Co. and Ovum-RHK.

The Service Provider Summit is a dynamic program with topics and speakers of interest to CTOs, network architects, network designers and technologists within the service provider and carrier sector. The Service Provider Summit will be held Wednesday, Feb. 27 and will feature a keynote presentation from Reed Hundt, former FCC chairman. Other speakers include executives from Infinera, AT&T Labs, NeoPhotonics, NTT, Verizon, Advanced Access Technologies, Force10 Networks and Facebook, Inc.

Hundreds of educational workshops and tutorial sessions.

Private media events will include:

A media lunch panel at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26 - OFC/NFOEC representatives and participating panelists from the scientific, corporate and analyst communities will provide a high-level view of the industry and specifically the migration from 40G to 100G.

CONTACT:

Colleen Morrison, OFC/NFOEC, 202.416.1437, media@ofcconference.org or Keira Shein, WilkinsonShein Communications, 410.363.9494, keira@wilkinsonshein.com

About OFC/NFOEC:
Since 1985, the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) has provided an annual backdrop for the optical communications field to network and share research and innovations. In 2004, OFC joined forces with the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC) creating the largest and most comprehensive international event for optical communications. By combining an exposition of 600 companies, with a unique program of peer-reviewed technical programming and special focused educational sessions, OFC/NFOEC provides an unparalleled opportunity reaching every audience from service providers to optical equipment manufacturers and beyond.

OFC/NFOEC, www.ofcnfoec.org, is managed by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and co-sponsored by OSA, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (IEEE/LEOS). Acting as a non-financial technical co-sponsor is Telcordia Technologies, Inc.

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