SUPERnet 2002 Opening Plenary Panel to Explore the Future of Optical Networks; Panel to address rapidly changing optical networking market

Business Wire, August 21, 2001

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

SUPERnet 2002

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2001

The SUPERnet 2002 Opening Plenary Panel will focus on the future of optical networks, event owner, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), today announced.

Titled "The Future of Intelligent Optical Networks," the panel will be held Monday, January 21 from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

TIA and its conference partner, the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), developed the panel in response to the rapidly evolving optical networking market and the need to keep the industry well informed of these changes. Mark Storm, team leader at Frost & Sullivan, recently stated that "more than 50 percent of all optical network spending went toward traditional optical equipment in 2000." He believes "that service providers will transition their purchasing patterns toward Next Generation equipment as they migrate toward higher capacity, multi-wavelength, intelligent optical networking solutions." This panel of leading executives in the optical networking market will address issues such as what service providers should be purchasing in 2002 and more.

Kristin Rauschenbach, co-founder and CEO of PhotonEx Corp., will chair the panel. Panelists will include Philippe Becker, vice president, product management at Corvis Corporation; Alastair Glass, CTO, Optical Networking Group at Lucent Technologies; Stephen Pearse, chairman at Inara Networks; David Tolwinski, president and CEO at Tenor Networks; and Niel Viljoen, CTO at Marconi plc.

"We are pleased to bring this renowned panel to SUPERnet to address tomorrow's next-generation networks, and the key changes facing the global communications industry," said Matthew J. Flanigan, president of TIA. "Attendees will hear directly from the industry leaders about the trends that are driving technological development in the new infrastructure."

SUPERnet, a TIA conference and exhibition that exclusively focuses on broadband infrastructure and applications, will be held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif., January 21-24, 2002. The event will feature approximately 40,000 net square feet of exhibits.

The inaugural SUPERnet, held January 14-17, 2001 in Santa Clara, drew more than 5,800 industry professionals, and featured 122 exhibiting companies and visitors from 37 foreign countries.

SUPERnet combines both educational seminars and technology exhibitions targeted toward decision-makers responsible for building next-generation broadband networks. SUPERnet's conference partner, IEC, will once again present the educational programming. The industry's premier conference organizer, IEC also produces its world-class Forums annually at SUPERCOMM.

SUPERnet 2002 exhibitors will showcase the integration of IP technologies and services over new and existing communications networks, and attendees will include service providers, network executives, engineering managers, R&D directors and other professionals driving the major rollouts and investments in broadband networks.

The HOTcom Zone, a concept unique to SUPERnet, will feature technology demonstrations from up to 30 of the industry's most promising new companies on the exhibit floor. The HOTcom Track will run in parallel with the Zone demonstrations, and will provide those same innovative companies with the opportunity to share their business models and strategies through a series of six interactive tracks.

For more information on attending and exhibiting at the SUPERnet event, visit http://www.supernet2002.com.

SUPERnet's conference and exhibition exclusively focuses on broadband infrastructure and applications. SUPERnet is a TIA Industry Event, with educational programming provided by IEC.

TIA is the leading trade association serving the communications and information technology industry, with proven strengths in market development, trade shows, domestic and international advocacy, standards development and enabling e-business. Through its worldwide activities, the association facilitates business development opportunities and a competitive market environment.

The association provides a market-focused forum for its more than 1,100 member companies that manufacture or supply the products and services used in global communications. TIA represents the communications sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Visit TIA at http://www.tiaonline.org.