LONDON, Feb. 18 -- Michael Lebby, co-founder of Ignis Optics, which Bookham Technology recently acquired, will participate in a panel discussion on how to survive in the current optical components market, at the Optical Society of America's Sixth Annual Photonics and Telecommunications Executive Forum, to be held Feb. 22-23 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, in conjunction with the 2004 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition. Lebby will discuss how the optical network industry has progressed over the last few years, from the burst of the telecom "bubble" to today’s situation of overcapacity. He will also present ideas on how companies can survive and grow in this environment. "Although there are signs of recovery emerging in the current market, there still isn’t enough business to go round: there are too many suppliers and too few customers," Lebby said. "Some companies will starve, others will survive and grow, but it is likely to be a very painful process. Darwinism is alive and well." Bookham Technology will show its expanded portfolio at OFC, including transponders, amplifier solutions, pluggable transceivers, tunable lasers and end-to-end optical communications device capabilities. For more information, visit: www.bookham.com