Featuring technology from around the world and every sector of optical communications, the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC) is a place where people from all corners of the earth can come together to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward from March 22-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. This year’s event introduces a virtual tradeshow that will simulate the experience of the show, while providing attendees with the information they need prior to the show. The tradeshow offers detailed information on exhibitors, including company descriptions, a product search by categories, an advanced look at company product showcases and company contact information and booth location. With periodically updated information, this interactive tool will help plan your trip and target the exhibitors most beneficial to you and your interests.Photo courtesy of OFC/NFOEC. As the premier international optical communications event, OFC/NFOEC 2009 provides a comprehensive view of the industry through live demonstrations, interactive displays, a plenary session, peer-reviewed technical programming, workshops, short courses, a 3-day exhibition of more than 600 companies showcasing new products and technologies, and special focus sessions, including the three-day Market Watch and the daylong keynote Service Provider Summit. Drawing the largest audience of the conference, the plenary session on March 24 will include three veteran speakers in the field of optics and telecommunications who will address the audience with important insights into the state of the optical communications industry, information about cutting-edge technologies, assessments of industry trends and a unique international perspective of the industry’s future. Speakers include Philippe Morin, president, Metro Ethernet Networks, Nortel, Canada; Lawrence Lessig, professor, Stanford Law School, United States; and Shri Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing director, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., India.“Can the Internet Scale for the Coming Explosion of Media and Mission Critical Applications?” is the title of the Service Provider Summit scheduled to be given by keynote speaker Robert Blumofe, senior vice president of Networks and Operations at Akamai. His presentation will be followed by two panel discussions. The first titled, “Core Networks—Keeping Pace” will immediately follow the keynote address. Moderated by Karen Liu, vice president of components and video technologies at Ovum, speakers will include Stuart Elby, vice president of network architecture at Verizon; William Jarr, a consultant in the United States; and Matthew Ma, vice president of transport and network engineering at Tata Communications Ltd. The second panel, titled “FTTH—Advancing on Many Fronts,” will take place in the afternoon and will be moderated by Chris Pfistner, vice president of product marketing for NeoPhotonics. Speakers for the panel will include Andrew Odlyzko, professor for the school of mathematics and digital technology center at the University of Minnesota, United States; Bryan J. Rader, CEO and managing principal at Bandwidth Consulting LLC, US; Ching-Sheu Wang, project manager in the Broadband Network Lab for ChungHwa Telecom, Taiwan, and R. R. Yadava, deputy general manager of optical fibre at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. India.The three-day market watch will include a series of panel discussions and presentations to engage the applications and business communities in the field of optical communications. Topics of discussion to be held by esteemed guest speakers in the industry, research and investment communities include, “State of the Optical Industry,” “More Wavelengths, Higher Bit Rates, More Spectrum…The Path to Harnessing Maximum Fiber Capacity at the Lowest Cost,” “Photonic Integration: Mainstream at Last?,” “Optical Switching and Reconfigurable Networks: Balancing Agility, Reliability and Economy as Networks Evolve,” and “100G Standards Update.” Workshops, panel discussions and tutorials are offered at the conference to provide attendees with an interactive learning environment on current areas of interest in the industry. These include fibers for FTTX, optoelectronic devices, digital transmission systems, optical processing and analog subsystems, core and access networks, optical networks and services, and network technologies. A special symposium is also being offered at the conference. Titled, “Future Internet and Its Impact on Next-Generation Optical Networks,” this symposium will discuss the evolution of the Internet and its impact on the performance and economics of the underlying optical networks. It will explore the future Internet, as well as how it will impact the architecture and technology of next-generation optical networks. This event will be hosted by several leaders in the field who will present their visions and predictions for the future of the industry.Short courses covering a broad range of topics at a variety of educational levels will also be offered at OFC/NFOEC. Topics will be taught by industry experts and include fiber optics, quantum dots, and optical networks and transmission systems, among others. Continuing Education Units are available at these courses.New to the schedule this year, attendees can participate in the Rump Session to discuss the challenges of the continuing demand for more capacity. “Bandwidth and Applications on the Rise: Will Profits Follow? Strategies for Success in Optical Communications,” is the title of the 2009 Executive Forum, held in conjunction with OFC/NFOEC. This event will bring together executives from around the world to present new business models and emerging technologies that are accelerating change in the optical communications industry.A job fair will also be offered on-site. A job fair database is also offered online. Past employer participants have included Luna Innovations, Northrop Grumman Corp., Digital Lightwave, JDSU and Encore Corp. OFC/NFOEC 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). The technical co-sponsor is Telcordia Technologies Inc.For more information, visit: www.ofcnfoec.org