As they say in the movie business when a movie is completed—that’s a wrap. With the OFC 2025 now behind us, I thought it would be a good time to take a quick look back on this event.
2025 was a pivotal time for OFC. The conference celebrated its 50th year. At the time the conference debuted in 1975, two key developments were the continuous wave room-temperature diode laser and the first topical meeting on optical fiber transmission. Additionally, the traditional Bell System monopoly, led by AT&T, remained the dominant provider in the United States.
Having been to my first OFC in February 1999, which was held in San Diego, a lot has changed. At that time, the internet as we know it today was primarily used for email and some online shopping. It was also a time when a long list of startups were exploring and trying to break the boundaries of optical networking. While those companies are now mentioned in the optical history books, many of the people I knew then are still working to see what’s next.
Today, the optical industry is focusing on how it can serve emerging trends, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum communications, fiber-based broadband, data centers, and optical wavelength services for businesses and carriers.
During the event, there were great discussions not only about AI’s influence on optical, but also other emerging optical concepts like co-packaged optics, linear pluggable optics (LPO) and hollow core fiber (HCF) fiber technology.
It was also a time to celebrate the benefits of interoperability. As they have done in previous OFC events, the Ethernet Alliance and Optical Internetworking Forum held interoperability demonstrations on the show floor.
Please look at Lightwave+BTR’s coverage and special features:
· Show Daily Video Series: During the event, Lightwave+BTR conducted a show daily video each day of the event. You can watch Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.
· New daily podcasts: As the newest feature in our OFC coverage arsenal, you can listen to my daily podcast summaries of each day on our podcast section of our site.
· Innovation Awards: During the 2025 Innovation Awards Ceremony, we celebrated the innovations in optical and broadband from several companies that were honored for their efforts to push the industry forward.
We also hosted a live event titled Unveiling the Synergy Between AI and Optical Networking. If you couldn’t attend our live event at OFC, we’ll be hosting an encore presentation in the form of a webinar this Thursday.
Over the course of this week, we’ll also feature roundups of the hottest products and articles that highlight our conversations with key telecom and optical industry visionaries.
Thank you again for tuning into Lightwave+BTR. If you attended the show and didn't get a chance to meet with me, please feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.