Economics and Strategic Innovation for Systems Application in Optical Communications

Strategic innovation for system applications in telecom requires forethought and process management, which should be applied with a clear understanding of integration and deployment issues and their economic implications. Whereas new enabling technologies can evoke revolutionary changes of system and network infrastructures and operations, as well as significant impact on the service providers´ business viability and financial sustainability, non-strategic (not-well-thought-through) technology developments can often be thwarted by the continuing enhancement of the embedded base. My talk will present a perspective on strategic innovations in optical communications, discuss their impacts on the telecom industry, consider the present needs and dilemmas of the service providers, and describe some of the on-going research directions that promise viable applications.