The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has announced that, for the second year in a row, it will hold its flagship SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in an all-virtual format in 2021. The show organizers cited concerns about attendee health and safety due to COVID-19 and the impact of international travel restrictions for the decision. The SCTE did not indicate how the move online will affect the show program but promised “[m]ore information will be forthcoming.”
“Our industry rose to the challenge over the past year and a half to keep the world connected safely throughout the pandemic. We are continuing that pledge now by presenting Cable-Tec Expo as a virtual experience,” commented Mark Dzuban, SCTE president and CEO. “As a virtual event last year, Cable-Tec Expo had the largest level of engagement we have ever seen and we look forward to that same level of connection, innovation, and education in October.”
As of Friday afternoon Eastern, the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo website continued to list October 11-14 as the show dates. The SCTE show organizers planned to support virtual attendance this year and so urged those who have yet to register to do so and select the virtual attendance option.
The move to virtual last year significantly broadened participation, the SCTE asserts. The group posted on the Cable-Tec Expo website that attendance doubled versus 2019 and the number of countries represented grew from 69 to 214.
The Expo move to virtual came roughly a week after NCTC and ACA Connects announced that the Independent Show, scheduled for the week before Expo, would transform into a strictly online event as well (see “NCTC, ACAC take Independent Show 2021 virtual”).
Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director & Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, DOCSIS technology, and more.