Driven by the continued growth in data traffic in the wide area and the emerging demand for high-speed, data-centric services, the technologies that once supported the backbone of the voice-centric public network are now undergoing critical evaluation and rapid change. Advances in optical networking technologies are playing a critical role in reshaping the network infrastructure and effecting quantum leaps in bandwidth capacity. This shift from bandwidth scarcity to abundance will dramatically change the approach carriers take when designing their networks and service portfolios. These advances will also ultimately redefine the role of the optical network frmo one of being a dumb transmission medium to a network of a network of intelligent lightpaths used to more effectively distribute network capacity and support the creation of value-added hight-speed services. This workshop addresses the way optical technologies are affecting change in carrier networks and the different approaches service providers are adopting to expand their business opportunities using optical networking. Topics will include;

- How optical networking is inverting traditional pricing models and creating a new market structure with new players and services
- The role of optical networking as a driver and beneficiary of this dramatic transition
- Opportunities and challenges in deploying optical networking for international cross-border networks
- Emergence of new 'wavw' service for high-speed data applications
- The challenges of achieving the all-optical network

Today's network infrastructures are increasingly under attack. This panel of experts will discuss the nature of attacks we are seeing today along with policies, tools, and techniques that are needed to address them.