Light Reading & Heavy Reading’s Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Conference Defines the Future of Optical Transport on Tuesday in New York

NEW YORK - Light Reading and Heavy Reading’s Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Conference is the only US optical communications conference focused exclusively on packet and optical convergence and featuring speakers from all of the industry’s leading service providers and vendor communities

Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the leading online publication for the telecom industry, and Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), its prestigious market research division, will be producing their Packet-Optical Transport Evolution conference (www.lightreading.com/packetoptical), on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, in New York, exploring critical issues facing the optical networking industry. Hosted by Heavy Reading Senior Analyst Sterling Perrin and including moderators Derek Medlin, Senior Analyst for Pyramid Research, as well as Chris Nicoll, Consultant for Heavy Reading, Packet-Optical Transport Evolution will include the industry’s biggest optical players. Sponsorship opportunities have sold out, and attendance is projected to be between 150 and 200 qualified attendees.

Packet-Optical Transport Evolution will include keynote speakers Felipe J. Alvarez, President of RCN Metro Optical Networks; Dr. Stuart Elby, VP Network Architecture of Verizon; and Rod Naphan, VP Product & Strategic Planning for Fujitsu Network Communications. Additionally, speakers from Abovenet, Level3, XO Communications, ADVA, Ciena, Gridpoint, Infinera, JDSU, MRV, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Tellabs will be participating on panel sessions.

The goal of the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution conference is to get people talking about how optical networks bring real value to networks and how they ultimately underpin an operator’s success in an NGN world. The two-track day will include panel sessions, keynote presentations, and roundtables. Topics to be covered include Strategies for the Winning Architecture for Sonet-to-Packet Migration; Optical Switching in the Packet World; Packet-Optical Transport for Mobile Operators; Building the Ecosystem for Packet-Optical Transport; Strategies for Migrating to 40G & 100GigE; Understanding the Role of Connection-Oriented-Ethernet in Packet-Optical Transport; and Converging Ethernet & the Transport Network.

“IP and Ethernet are fundamentally changing the nature of telecommunications. Network operators around the world recognize that converging the packet and optical layers — known as packet optical transport — is the inevitable future of transport. Packet Optical Transport Evolution uniquely brings together the leaders in the packet optical transport migration — the suppliers creating the technology and the operators that use it — who are driving the next-generation of optical transport,” said Sterling Perrin, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, and Conference Chair.

Building off the success of the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution conference, Light Reading and Heavy Reading will launch their first optical virtual tradeshow, the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow, on July 14, 2009. The Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow will have all the characteristics of a live event and more, including an auditorium with panel sessions, keynote speakers, video presentations, live Q&A, customizable exhibitor booths with chat features, and a virtual lounge. Registration for the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow is guaranteed at 1,000.

Press and analyst registration at the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution conference is free, as is attendance for qualified attendees. To register please visit: www.lightreading.com/packetoptical Contact: Amy Averbook Director of Corporate Marketing Light Reading Inc. averbook@lightreading.com +1-212-925-0020 x112

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading’s research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly connections

About United Business Media Limited

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM’s businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of US$2.5 billion. (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)

Source: Light Reading

Amy Averbook, Director of Corporate Marketing of Light Reading Inc., +1-212-925-0020 x112, averbook at lightreading.com