The transition from ATM centric to Ethernet centric broadband access networks was initially started in Asia but is now accelerating across the world. The transition is driven by the need to deploy more powerful networks to stay competitive for the basic Internet access offerings and to pave the road for cost efficient introduction of advanced video applications. The change in architecture represents the first major shift since the introduction of DSL in large scale in 1997. This session will give the audience a global overview on how Ethernet has been rolled out so far, the experiences gained, and successful strategies.

Peter Linder
Technical Director and Vice President, Marketing (EFMA)
Ericsson

In addition to his current role, Mr. Linder is also vice president of marketing and a board member of the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance. Until recently, he was Ericsson's technical director of broadband access during the creation and the market introduction of the Ethernet DSL Access product line. He joined Ericsson in 1991 on a program for telecommunication system engineers and has held positions in Sweden, the United States, and Mexico during his career. Between 1993 and 2002, he held various product-management and management positions in the broadband access area.

Ariel Maislos, President, Management, Passavé Technologies, co-founded Passavé after seven years with the ERD, a top R&D unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where he served in a variety of R&D and project management positions. Mr. Maislos currently serves as the editor of the EPON clause of the IEEE 802.3ah standard and as a board member for the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA).

Mike McFarland, Senior Product Line Manager, Cisco Senior Product Line Manager at Cisco Systems for Metro Ethernet drives platform and architecture strategy for Service Provider Ethernet access and aggregation. Previously at Cisco he was the Product Line Manager for the Catalyst 2950, 3550, and 3750 Series Ethernet Switches, and had responsibility for the software roadmap and outbound marketing. Prior to these roles at Cisco Systems, he has held management and engineering roles at Ameritech, Accenture, and Mercer Management Consulting, and was the founder of an iTV e-commerce company.

Björn Odenhammar, Director, Product Management Ethernet Access, Ericsson, has worked for Ericsson for the last eight years. He has wide experience in the broadband access market and has held various product management positions for both Ericsson's cable and DSL product portfolios. He has also held positions within Ericsson's operations and sales organizations for broadband access.

Martin Thunman, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, PacketFront, has lead PacketFront from the start to become one of the leading technology companies within FTTH, with presence in Europe, N. America, Japan and South Korea. Prior to co-founding PacketFront, Martin spent 5 years with Cisco Systems, serving in a number of different sales management positions.