NEW YORK, July 17 --

- Huge turnout for Light Reading’s Packet-Optical Transport Evolution
Virtual Tradeshow with the industry’s leading optical experts, nearly 900
attendees, and 10 sponsors

Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the leading online publication for the
telecom industry, and Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), its prestigious
market research division, produced the optical networking industry’s first
online tradeshow on July 14, The Packet-Optical Transport Virtual Tradeshow,
with 1,757 registrants, 881 attendees, and 10 sponsors.

Heavy Reading’s leading optical networking experts moderated the
Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow conference sessions, led by
Conference Chair and Heavy Reading Senior Analyst, Sterling Perrin, with
participation from Chief Analyst Graham Finnie. Covering how optical networks
bring real value to networks and how they ultimately underpin an
operator’s success in an NGN world, the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution
Virtual Tradeshow was part of a live/virtual event program, with the live event,
the Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Conference, held on May 19 in New York
City with 14 sponsors.

The Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow sponsors included Gold
Sponsors, ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, ECI, Gridpoint Systems, JDSU, NEC, and
TPack; and Bronze Sponsors, Anritsu, Glimmerglass, and Polatis. The Virtual
Tradeshow was promoted extensively via Light Reading’s network of 300,000
unique visitors. With a registration goal of 1,000 registrants, the
Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow tremendously exceeded goals
with more than 1,770 registrants from 78 different countries.

The Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow featured keynote
speakers Paul Savill, SVP Transport and Data Services at Level 3 Communications,
and Glenn Wellbrock, Director of Optical Transport Network Architecture and
Design at Verizon Communications. Savill discussed requirements for managing the
transition to next-gen optical networks, and Wellbrock covered the transport
evolution for medium- and long-haul optical networks.

This new virtual format is a powerful tool for bringing together the global
optical networking industry for education, idea exchange, and networking --
without any of the downsides of physical travel, noted Heavy Reading’s
Perrin.

This conference shows how Light Reading can uniquely create a successful
industry event that brings together the immediacy and personal relationship
aspects of live programs with the reach and impact of virtual events, said Joe
Braue, Light Reading SVP and Group Director.

The Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow, which took place from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, included all the elements of a live event and more, such as
an auditorium with four different panel sessions and one keynote session, as
well as video presentations and live QA; exhibitor booths on the virtual show
floor with chat features allowing suppliers and buyers to interact; downloadable
materials from exhibitor booths; and a virtual lounge, the show’s most
highly trafficked area with 385 visitors, allowing attendees to network with
each other.

The Packet-Optical Transport Evolution Virtual Tradeshow will be archived here
on Monday, July 20: www.lightreading.com/packetoptical.

For more information on Light Reading’s upcoming virtual tradeshows
please email events@lightreading.com.

Contact Amy Averbook Light Reading +1-212-600-3373 averbook@lightreading.com

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online
media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion worldwide
communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology
and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector
in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading’s research
arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive
communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100
markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted
communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet
Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused
one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light
Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a
unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (http://techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology
communities, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of
technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most
respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today,
more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our
communities created around our global face-to-face events including Interop, Web
2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources like Light Reading, Intelligent
Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and Financial Technology brands;
and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek Magazine, TechNet
Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street Technology magazines. TechWeb also
provides end-to-end services such as next- generation performance marketing,
custom media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United
Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist
information services with a market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

* 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections

About United Business Media Limited (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)

United Business Media Limited is a leading global business media company. We
inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at
events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business
successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from
doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers
to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are
organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do
business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

SOURCE: Light Reading

Amy Averbook, Light Reading, +1-212-600-3373, averbook@lightreading.com