Mr. Mark Lutkowitz

He is considered one of the most objective, no-nonsense demand-side analysts in the sector. Mark was part of a very small number of people in the industry to express caution during the days of the 1999-2001 bubble, when inexplicably, historically conservative telephone companies were being treated by the financial community as if they were dot-com entities. As the industry enters another challenging time as a result of the Covid-19 virus, along with the maturation of the marketplace, he is stepping up again to help guide the industry in recommending practical strategies. One of Mark’s biggest strengths is his numerous long-term relationships with webscale operators, incumbent service providers and other major customers.

With an intense concentration on primary research, Mark has been a consultant to some of the largest telecom companies in the world involving chips to full systems. He has authored countless reports as well as monthly newsletters covering such areas as high-capacity transport, optical switching, fiber to the premises, Ethernet/IP, and network management. Mark has consistently predicted market trends, such as in his study of access, metro, and long-haul applications. In recent years, he has branched out into other optics sectors, including consumer, automotive, and freeform.

While he was in college, Mark started his career at Northern Business Information, leaving as a Senior Analyst. He then established Trans-Formation, which specialized in transmission equipment markets. After 14 years at the helm, his company was purchased by CIR, where he became VP of Optical Networking Research.

Subsequently, both Mark and Sam Greenholtz established Telecom Pragmatics, which operated for nine years. At the firm, Mark was head writer and directed the intelligence-gathering efforts.

Afterwards, Mark was Product Sales Strategist at PacketLight Networks, where he used his skills and knowledge to help increase the supplier’s presence in the US. Also, he was an advisor to the OFC 2015 N5 Service Provider Summit and Market Watch subcommittee, and continued to be in this role up until after the final selection of topics for OFC 2016, being a strong advocate for an examination of more relevant subject matter.

Moreover, Mark has been a GLG consultant for many years. He plays the same role at Guidepoint Global, DeMatteo Research, Coleman Research, and Noble Insights.

In addition, Mark has been frequently quoted in prominent publications and news outlets including the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, Barron’s, Fortune, Investor’s Business Daily, TheStreet, Investment News, MIT’s Technology Review, IEEE Spectrum, the Associated Press, Reuters, The Baltimore Sun, Newsday, The Globe and Mail, Washington Business Journal, and Dallas Business Journal.

Furthermore, Mark excels at moderating panel discussions by keeping them lively and sparking debates among the participants. He is also a frequent speaker and contributor at EPIC events.