Thomas R. Rowbotham

During his 36-year tenure with British Telecom (BT) laboratories, visionary Thomas R. Rowbotham led many breakthroughs-encoded TV signals over microwave radio and satellite-switched TDMA, Blown Fiber, the semiconductor laser amplifier, the add-drop digital multiplexer at 2.4 Gbit/s, the 565 Mbit/s optical transmission system, the longest transmission between repeaters over fiber (200 kms), as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, and global virtual network service. As director of BT Laboratories, he began an outreach program, promoting stronger collaboration and communication among competing telecommunications laboratories around the world. Subsequently, many multi-company initiatives in the fields of open networks and local loop technology were created.

An IEEE Senior Member, Dr. Rowbotham has served as IEEE Division III (Communications Technology) director and on the IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Foundation boards. He is a Fellow of the IEE and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and is a venture partner with St. Paul Venture Capital in Westboro, Mass.