Submit your entry today to the 15th annual Leading Lights Awards; the next-generation communications industry’s most coveted honor

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the market-leading online community for the global communications sector, today announced that the 2019 edition of Leading Lights, the telecom industry's most prestigious awards program, is now open for nominations.

Now in its 15th year, Leading Lights provides a broad range of opportunities for the communications industry’s innovators and leaders to showcase their efforts during the past year and be recognized for their achievements. The program comprises 22 regular categories and the latest additions to Light Reading's Hall of Fame.

This year's Leading Lights program has been updated to include two new categories:

• Most Innovative AI/Analytics Strategy
• Most Innovative Blockchain for Telecoms Strategy

"The make-up of the Leading Lights awards has changed over the course of its 15 years to reflect the evolution of the communications networking and services industry, and this year is no different," said Light Reading Editor-in-Chief Ray Le Maistre. "With the advent of 5G accelerating the shift towards a more cloud-oriented, distributed, intelligent and ultra-broadband world, there's as much innovation in this industry as ever, and we look forward to discovering even more about the industry's efforts during the past year in your submissions."

The complete list of categories is:

• Most Innovative Cable/Video Product or Service 
• Most Innovative Mobile/Wireless Product or Service 
• Most Innovative Telecoms Product (Optical/IP/Carrier Ethernet/FTTH)
• Most Innovative AI/Analytics Strategy
• Most Innovative Blockchain for Telecoms Strategy
• Most Innovative Business Cloud Service
• Most Innovative SD-WAN Service
• Most Innovative SD-WAN Product Strategy (Vendor)
• Most Innovative Telco Cloud Strategy (Network/Data Center Operator)
• Most Innovative Telco Cloud Product Strategy (Vendor) 
• Most Innovative Automation Strategy (Network/Data Center Operator)  
• Most Innovative Edge Computing Strategy
• Most Innovative Security Strategy
• Most Innovative IoT/M2M Strategy
• Most Innovative 5G Technology 
• Most Innovative 5G Strategy
• Outstanding Components Vendor 
• Outstanding Test & Measurement Vendor 
• Outstanding Digital Enablement Vendor 
• Company of the Year (Private) 
• Company of the Year (Public) 
• Best Deal Maker 

As it has done since 2010, Light Reading will be expanding its Hall of Fame, which recognizes those individuals, both the famous and the infamous, who have made a notable contribution to the global telecom sector. Nominations can be submitted for the Hall of Fame, although the individuals considered for this particular award may also be nominated by Light Reading's editorial team.

The Leading Lights Awards winners and Light Reading Hall of Fame inductees will be announced at an awards dinner in Denver on May 6 at the Pinnacle Club at the Grand Hyatt Denver, after day 0 of the Big 5G event (https://tmt.knect365.com/big-5g-event/) concludes. The deadline for Leading Lights entries and Light Reading Hall of Fame nominations is Friday, March 22. Finalists for the Leading Lights Awards will be announced on Light Reading by March 29. Judging is conducted by Light Reading's editors and the analyst team from Heavy Reading (http://www.heavyreading.com).

For further details about the awards, including links to the entry submission forms and the frequently asked questions page, visit https://tmt.knect365.com/leading-lights/

To find out who won the Leading Lights in 2018, visit https://www.lightreading.com/automation/leading-lights-2018-the-winners/d/d-id/743054

To see which individuals were inducted into the Light Reading Hall of Fame in 2018, visit https://www.lightreading.com/services/cloud-services/light-reading-hall-of-fame-2018-/v/d-id/743048

For information on Leading Lights sponsorship opportunities, email sales@lightreading.com.

About Light Reading

Light Reading is an independent B2B digital media platform providing daily news analysis and insight for the global communications networking and services industry. Our broad readership and solid reputation make us the leading resource for telecom, mobile and cable network operators, cloud services players and all the companies that develop and supply them with technology, applications and professional services.  Light Reading has over 500,000 qualified registered users, our websites attract over 1.3 million monthly page views and our newsletters are sent out to 220,000 opt-in subscribers. Our brand is also active across all social media channels, with over 100,000 members and followers.  The Light Reading Group incorporates two dedicated research divisions, Heavy Reading and Tractica; more than 15 successful annual industry events, including the Big 5G Event; several targeted online communities, including Security Now, Connecting Africa and Broadband World News, that dig even deeper into key areas of the global communications industry; and its sister industry news site Telecoms.com.

Erin Cardinal
646-895-7352
awards@lightreading.com