MEF Announces All-Star Speaker Line-up for MEF16 Global Networking Event, 7-10 November

110+ Executives and Experts from AT&T, Comcast, PCCW Global, Verizon, Sparkle, Level 3, Tata Communications, Telstra, Zayo, Global Capacity, DT, China Telecom, Ciena, Huawei, Microsoft & More

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Los Angeles, 21 October 2016 – MEF (www.MEF.net), the driving force enabling agile, assured, and orchestrated Third Network services, today announced a world-class lineup of more than 110 LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration), SDN, NFV, Carrier Ethernet, and cloud service expert speakers that will be participating in the MEF16 (www.MEF16.com) global networking conference. MEF16 is taking place 7–10 November 2016 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore/Washington, USA. See the MEF16 Speakers page for details.

“MEF16 will provide attendees an unparalleled forum to engage with the world’s top service and technology experts who are driving the industry’s shift to on-demand connectivity and NFV-based services orchestrated over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks,” said Kevin Vachon, Chief Operating Officer, MEF. “If you want to know where the industry is going and how we are going to get there, MEF16 is the place to be.”

MEF16’s speaker line-up includes a Who’s Who list of executives and other experts from dozens of service provider, cloud, technology supplier, enterprise, open source, standards, industry research, and other organizations.

Keynote & Featured Speakers – Communications and Cloud Service Providers

  • Marc Halbfinger, CEO, PCCW Global
  • Eric Cevis, President, Verizon Partner Solutions
  • Michael Strople, President, Zayo Managed Services; Managing Director, Canada, Zayo
  • Huiling Zhao, CTO of ChinaTelecom Beijing Research Institute, Director of the Cloud Research Center in China Telecom
  • Jack Waters, CTO & President, Network Solutions, Zayo
  • Travis Ewert, SVP, Global Network Software Development, Level 3
  • Chris Alberding, VP, Product, Global Capacity
  • Josh Goodell, VP, AT&T Network on Demand
  • Gabriella Vacca, VP, Systems & Technology, Comcast
  • Axel Clauberg, VP Aggregation, Transport, IP, Deutsche Telekom
  • Adam Saenger, VP of Product Development & Product Management, Level 3
  • Karen Schmidt, VP, Products and Marketing, Intelsat
  • David Hughes, VP of Engineering, PCCW Global
  • Tom Siracusa, Executive Director, AT&T Labs
  • Allan Langfield, Executive Director, Product Development, Comcast
  • Jim Fagan, Head of Global Platforms, Telstra
  • Chris Benson, VP, Cloud Engineering, Oracle
  • Divesh Gupta, VP, Technology and Sales Operations, Presales, PCCW Global
  • Jeff Schwartz, AVP, Managed Network Services and Cloud Enablement, Tata Communications
  • Shahar Steiff, AVP New Technology, PCCW Global
  • Daniele Mancuso, Director of Innovation & Engineering, Sparkle
  • Jagan Rangarajan, Director, Verizon
  • Jeffrey Cohen, Azure Network Partner Program Manager, Microsoft

Keynote & Featured Speakers – Technology Solutions Vendors

  • Stephen B. Alexander, SVP & CTO, Ciena
  • John Strassner, CTO, Software Laboratory, Huawei
  • Chris Purdy, CTO, CENX
  • Hayim Porat, CTO, ECI
  • Steve Vogelsang, CTO, IP & Optical Networks, Nokia
  • Michael Kearns, VP Open Source Ecosystems, Huawei Technologies
  • Sanjay Mewada, VP of Strategy, NetCracker
  • Gabriel Kerner, VP, Head of Product Management, Amdocs
  • Ralph Santitoro, Head of SDN/NFV Solutions Practice, Fujitsu Network Communications
  • Raghu Ranganathan, Principal & Distinguished Engineer, Office of CTO, Ciena

Keynote Speakers – Enterprise and Defense

  • Gert Vanderstraeten, Network Architect, Microsoft IT
  • David J. Stern, Electronics Engr, Advanced Optics & IP Engr, Joint Enabling Capabilities Branch (ID24), Cyber Directorate (ID), Defense Information Systems Agency

The complete list of companies with speakers at MEF16 is shown below.

Communications and Cloud Service Providers. MEF16 will feature 30+ executives and other senior speakers from more than 20 leading global, national, and regional communications and cloud service providers, including:

  • AT&T
  • C&W Networks
  • China Telecom
  • Comcast
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Epsilon
  • Global Capacity
  • Intelsat
  • INTERNEXA
  • Level 3 Communications
  • PCCW Global
  • PLDT
  • Sparkle
  • Tata Communications
  • Telstra
  • Verizon
  • Verizon Partner Solutions
  • Windstream
  • XO Communications
  • Zayo

Additional sponsoring and participating service providers include:  CenturyLink, China Unicom, Datanet (Africa), Fibrenoire, and INDATEL.

Technology Solutions Vendors.  MEF16 will feature dozens of corporate executives, CTOs, and other expert speakers from network technology, software, and testing providers, including:

  • Accedian Networks
  • Amdocs
  • CENX
  • Ciena
  • Cisco Systems
  • Coriant
  • Cylance
  • ECI
  • Ericsson
  • EXFO
  • Fujitsu Network Communications
  • Gigaspaces
  • Huawei
  • Infinera
  • InfoVista
  • Intel
  • Iometrix
  • Juniper Networks
  • MetaSwitch
  • MRV Communications
  • Netcracker
  • Nokia
  • Oracle Communications
  • RAD
  • Silver Peak
  • ZTE

Additional sponsoring and participating technology solutions and training companies include: ADTRAN, ADVA Optical Networking, Amartus, Brain4Net, CDG, Canoga Perkins, Carrier Ethernet Academy, Cisco DevNet, Comptel, Datavision, Edgecore Networks, Local Backhaul Networks, NoviFlow, Omnitron Systems, Raisecom, Sandvine, Siama Systems, Spirent, Telco Systems, Tech 2000, Viavi, and Wedge Networks.

Open Source and Standards Organizations. Senior representatives from open source projects and standards organizations will be participating in the MEF16 main conference, the OPEN-O Mini-Summit, and the UNITE Partner Summit. Organizations with speakers include:

  • Broadband Forum
  • ETSI-NVF
  • MEF
  • Open Networking Foundation (ONF)
  • Lab
  • OpenDaylight
  • OPEN-O
  • OPNFV
  • TM Forum

Industry Research and Financial Analyst Firms.  More than a dozen service and technology experts from the following industry research and financial analyst firms will participate:

  • ATLANTIC-ACM
  • Current Analysis
  • Dell’Oro
  • Frost & Sullivan
  • IHS Markit
  • Metanoia
  • MKM Partners LLC
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Ovum
  • SDxCentral
  • TeleGeography
  • Vertical Systems Group

About MEF

MEF is the driving force enabling Third Network services for the digital economy and the hyper-connected world. The Third Network concept combines the agility and ubiquity of the internet with the assurance and security of CE 2.0. Third Network services provide an on-demand, orchestrated, and assured experience with user-directed control over network resources and cloud connectivity. Third Network services are delivered over automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO, SDN, NFV, and CE 2.0.

MEF leverages its global 210+ network operator and technology vendor community, builds upon the robust $80 billion Carrier Ethernet market, and provides a practical evolution to the Third Network with LSO, SDN, and NFV implementations that build upon a CE 2.0 foundation.  See www.MEF.net for more information.

About MEF16

MEF is the host of the MEF16 (www.MEF16.com) global networking event that will be held during 7–10 November 2016 at the Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore/Washington D.C., USA. This year’s event will expand popular elements of last year’s program, including the MEF Excellence Awards Dinner, Proof of Concept Service & Technology Showcase, LSO Hackathon, and Global Media Hub. MEF16 will feature new Workshops on LSO, Open Initiatives, MEF Certification Programs (services, technology, professionals), and Wholesale Services & Interconnection. Also new for 2016 are the UNITE Partners Summit focusing on standards and open source solutions for Third Network orchestrated services and the OPEN-O Mini-Summit.

Register here for MEF16. Attendance is free for qualified service end-user professionals from enterprises, businesses, government, defense, educational, or non-profit organizations. For sponsorship information, please contact Alysia Bennett at alysia@MEF.net.

Media Contact:

Ilissa Miller
iMiller Public Relations for MEF
Tel: +1 866.307.2510
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