BOSTON, May 2 -- The optical network market -- excluding SONET elements -- is expected to reach $17.7 billion by 2003, according to a report from the Aberdeen Group, an IT consulting and market strategy firm. Called Moving at Light Speed: The Transition to Optical Networks , the report examines the trends and companies in the optical network market and the transition towards a data-centric, all-optical network.Andrew McCormick, report author, commented, We are moving toward a network that is self-aware of traffic flows and can increase or decrease bandwidth as needed and deliver any service anywhere -- in real time. However, the current structure of both the network itself and the operational practices of the service providers, especially the well-established carriers, are major roadblocks to the wide scale deployment of the optical equipment network. The suppliers that can deliver the technologies that solve the problems that carriers face will be the ones to succeed.