The Ethernet Alliance will conduct sessions on switch fabrics, 10-Gigabit Ethernet, backplane Ethernet and networking issues at the 2006 AdvancedTCA Summit, to be held Oct. 17-19 at the Marriot Hotel in Santa Clara, Calif. The alliance will also host a members-only meeting Wednesday from 9:30 a.m.-noon (Salon E), where it will welcome its newest members: Avago, Excelight Communications (a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric), Fiberxon, Opnext, Picolight, SwitchCore and Washington University. The AdvancedTCA Summit program provides information on the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture, an emerging standard platform for telecommunications equipment. Summit themes will include creating standard-based telecom equipment, reducing equipment cost and development time, and making equipment more flexible and more maintainable. The program will feature half-day tutorials, panel discussions, keynotes, paper sessions, workshops and special sessions. Produced by Conference ConCepts, Inc., the summit will also feature presentations, exhibits and tutorials by groups including the Communications Platforms Trade Association and the SCOPE Alliance, and by companies such as Intel, Motorola, Lucent Technologies and Alcatel. Ethernet Alliance session topics will include switch fabrics ("Bus Wars"), to be chaired by Jag Bolaria of The Linley Group and featuring alliance member presenters Francois LeMaut of AMCC and Uri Cummings of Fulcrum Microsystems; networking issues, chaired by Jason McDonald of eg3 with Ethernet Alliance presenters Uri Cummings, Fulcrum Microsystems; and Blaine Kohl, Tehuti Networks; 10-Gig Ethernet in Telecommunications, chaired by Lee Goldberg, AnalogZone, with presenters: Brad Booth, AMCC; and Bruce Tolley, SolarFlare Communications; backplane Ethernet and industry testing needs, presented by Ethernet Alliance members Bob Noseworthy and Kristin Harris of UNH-IOL. For more information, visit: www.advancedtcasummit.com