Lee Hicks, vice president, network planning at Verizon, received today the 15th Annual FTTXcellence Award during a ceremony as part of the 2018 Fiber Connect Conference in Nashville, TN. The award, co-sponsored by Corning and Lightwave, recognizes an individual who has advanced the use of optical access network technology in the Americas.
Hicks was recognized for his role in developing Verizon's "One Fiber" converged network strategy. The initiative combines fiber to the premises (FTTP) for delivery of business and residential services with support of 5G wireless and small cell networking under a single multiplatform network umbrella. This includes the deployment of NG-PON2 technology.
A panel of judges that included Bob Whitman, vice president, global market development, carrier networks at Corning Optical Communications; Heather Burnett Gold, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association; and Stephen Hardy, editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave, selected Hicks from among a varied slate of nominees. Hicks received a glass piece from the Corning Museum of Glass in recognition of his achievements; a donation in his name also was made to U.S. Ignite, a non-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to make the United States the world leader in applications and services for ultra-fast, software-defined networks.
"The scale at which Verizon has deployed fiber to the home, and delivered next-generation broadband services under its FiOS brand, has been in large part driven by the engineering organization led by Lee," commented Whitman, who represented Corning at the award ceremony. "Lee has been a driving force in shaping network solutions by challenging his internal organization, the equipment vendor community, and the industry ecosystem as a whole to find new ways to build, manage, and operate optical networks."
"I've had the great honor to partner on innovation with many firms in this room, and what great progress we've made and are continuing to make," said Hicks during his acceptance speech. "As I read through the past recipients of this award, I am honored to be included in their ranks."
For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.
For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.