Florian Azendorf examines optical sensing strategies for protecting critical infrastructure at Operators Day 2026

• Speakers: Florian Azendorf, senior optics engineer at Adtran
• Topics: Invisible guardians in the network: How telecommunications networks become the comprehensive shield for critical infrastructure (German language session)


• When: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 2:15 p.m. CEST
• Where: Operators Day 2026, Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Vienna, Austria https://www.cmg-ae.at/event/operators-day-2026/

As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly important to economic activity and public services, operators are looking for new ways to improve visibility into the environments surrounding their networks. Fiber networks already span vast geographic areas, creating opportunities to support functions beyond communications alone. Advances in optical sensing technologies are enabling operators to use existing fiber infrastructure as a distributed monitoring platform capable of detecting events and conditions across large areas. These developments have the potential to enhance infrastructure resilience while creating additional value from networks that are already deployed.

In this session, Florian Azendorf will examine how optical sensing technologies can transform telecommunications networks into large-scale monitoring systems for critical infrastructure protection. He will explore how existing fiber infrastructure can be used to detect and observe activity across extensive environments without requiring dedicated sensing networks. The discussion will highlight emerging applications for distributed fiber sensing and consider how operators can use these capabilities to strengthen infrastructure awareness and resilience. Attendees will gain insight into the growing role of fiber sensing in supporting the protection of critical infrastructure.