Optical Tech

2023 Lightwave Innovation Reviews Honorees

Feb. 7, 2023

Our 10th annual Lightwave Innovation Reviews saw technology developers submit products introduced or enhanced since March 2022 in various technology categories for review by our independent panel of judges. Congrats to the following honorees!

Stephen Hardy

Lightwave Editorial Director Stephen Hardy, in his role as Award Program Manager, assigned each entry to be reviewed by at least three judges knowledgeable in the relevant technology or application. As was the case in previous years, they rated each entry on the following scale:

0-1.5: Not a particularly useful product

2.0-2.5: Okay, but perhaps a commodity product

3.0-3.5: Solid product, usually with at least one attribute that sets it apart from commodity products

4.0-4.5: Excellent product with technical features and performance that provide clear and substantial benefits

5.0: Superb product that demonstrates breakthrough performance and/or innovation.

This year’s panel included:

Brandon Collings, CTO, optical communications, CCOP, Lumentum
Benjamin Dillard, program manager – special projects, Concert Technologies
Frank Effenberger, fellow, optical transport and access standards, Futurewei Technologies
Jorg-Peter Elbers, SVP, advanced technology, standards and IPR, ADVA Optical Networking
Mike Frankel, Ciena fellow, Ciena
Andrew Frapiccini, project manager, Concert Technologies
Lisa Huff, principal analyst, optical components, OVUM
Tom Issenhuth, principal at Issenhuth Consulting
Peter Jones, principal engineer, Cisco
Vladimir Kozlov, founder and CEO, LightCounting
Patrick McLaughlin, editor in chief, Cabling Installation & Maintenance
Rick Talbot, principal analyst - intelligent network transport, ACG Research
Jim Theodoras, vice president of R&D, HG Genuine USA.
Matt Traverso, principal engineer, Cisco
Dr. Tiejun J. (TJ) Xia, distinguished member of technical staff, Verizon

And, as has been tradition, we honor the following entries for achieving a score of at least 3.5 on that 1 to 5 scale. Congratulations to all of the companies listed below – and be sure to look for these companies at OFC 2023 to find out more.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.