We’re back from Ethernet Expo Americas (EENY), Light Reading’s popular event covering the hot topic of Carrier Ethernet networking technologies and services. Over the past couple of years, this event has also started to cover more and more optical-related topics, which is yet another sign of the growing convergence in the market between packet and optical. It was just announced that the event, now in its seventh year, set new records for registration and industry involvement. Over 130 service providers and cable operators from more than 25 different countries attended the event, which featured a record 35 speakers from service provider, cloud provider and enterprise organizations.
But what do these milestones mean, really? They underscore the growing strategic importance of Carrier Ethernet-related technologies and services to our industry. Expo chair Stan Hubbard, Heavy Reading’s expert Ethernet analyst, said of the event, “We appreciate the widespread commitment of industry professionals to help drive the market forward by fostering a sense of community, continuing to invest in innovation and delivering the benefits of Carrier Ethernet to as many customers and locations as possible.”
And it’s in this vein that we unveiled our new family of Optimized Multi-Layer Transport (OMLT) platforms at the event. The OMLT is a highly unique and innovative concept for true convergence of the optical and packet layers without compromising on cost or functionality. Whereas P-OTS fell short of the goal of delivering full convergence, our vision for the OMLT is to help service providers realize all the costs savings that Layer 0 to Layer 3 integration can bring. I sat down with Light Reading’s Ray LeMaistre at the event to explain, and you can watch the video here. Or you can learn more about the OMLT on our website.
Of the launch of the OMLT, Heavy Reading Senior Analyst Sterling Perrin said, “This is a huge move for ECI, and it really is a next-generation solution – it will make them more competitive.” Many other publications and analysts weighed in on the OMLT, and we’ve brought together all that coverage here. We’re very pleased with the reception that our new offering received, and we look forward to continuing bringing to market solutions that allow you to more efficiently and cost effectively bring next-generation services to your customers.
If you missed Ethernet Expo in NYC or you just didn’t get enough of an Ethernet fix while you were there, Light Reading is reopening its Ethernet Expo Digital Summit on November 29, 2011. For more information about this free opportunity, click here. ECI will be presenting and hosting a virtual booth at the Digital Summit, so we look forward to ‘connecting’ with you there!
Oren Marmur
Head of Optical Networking & CESR Line of Business
