THE NEXT WAVE OF OPTICAL NETWORKING: A FLIGHT TO QUALITY

摘要

As we watch the next set of waves hit optical networking and carry a new generation of companies forward, we can listen and learn from the previous generation. Hundreds of companies were funded at a time was money was available, customers were needy and innovation was highly prized. Many of these companies will not survive. Money is now harder to come by, and the balance of power has shifted from supply to demand. But innovation is still the prize - now more than ever. The next generation of successful companies will be those who can define a wave, and lead, educate and own a new market segment. And they will do so with innovation, intelligence and tenacity. In the past, both the wave riders and the wave definers found success. Market conditions allowed some companies who rode a wave, to transcend the price/performance niches, go public and use that capital to purchase or develop the next set of technologies. Those days are gone. But the fundamental strength of the optical market remains. The companies that learn from the past while looking to the future will be the ones that see the wave, catch it, and are able to build their companies into dynasties that endure.