Stephen Ruppa Email & Phone Number

Virtual

Focus on optical architecture, roadmaps for the Metro and Commercial optical networks and defining requirements for transport software. Currently working on how the network evolves to support 400G including disaggregated line systems and coherent pluggable optics. Also includes analytics of where 400G fits as it relates to technology, financially and solving for operational issues associated with disaggregation.Own and manage yearly plan of record for transport hardware and software.Serve as mentor to engineers in the optical discipline and escalation point and subject matter expert for Senior leadership.Represents Comcast at industry events and relationships with business partners on emerging optical technologies. Speaks at both internal and external events.

Virtual

Develop optical architecture and engineering end to end solutions for all lines of business within Comcast. Create 3–5-year hardware and software roadmaps for optical networks and work with external vendors to ensure supporting software and hardware are aligned to meet our business needs. Build relationships and foster an environment of partnership between National, Division and Market engineering teams. Execute complex analytics on theoretical network scenarios.Serve as subject matter expert and provide status updates to senior leadership on large scale optical projects. This includes technical and financial analysis.

Virtual

Primarily serve in architecture role working to develop new platforms, software and the standards needed to deploy them. This involves working with National, all three Divisions as well as optical vendors.Gather data for complex problems and present both technical and financial analysis. to senior leadership.Secondary role is to provide SME level guidance to transport engineers and liaison between teams on projects that span several lines of business.

Virtual

Work with peers to create transport CRAN capacity plan of record. Own CRAN capacity augments from end to end. Including requesting hardware quotes, submitting PO requests, shipping work orders, creating transport EDPs and provisioning circuits. Function as optical SME for Central Division. Interact with vendors to ensure feature requests and bugs are addressed.

Virtual

For most of this time I was the sole Central Division transport engineer responsible for implementing CRAN capacity augments from end to end. Was also the administrator for the Ciena and Nokia NMS’s which were both upgraded to new platforms and operationally standardized. Functioned as SME and escalation point for complex issues.Developed circuit ID, EDP and deployment standards that were implemented on all platforms in Central Division.

Illinois, Indiana And Michigan

Lead engineering projects, with a focus on designing optical transport for all lines of business at Comcast. This includes working directly with vendors to receive quotes, approve network changes and coordinate resources for implementation of changes. Also responsible for maintaining the current network, repairing outages, and troubleshooting complex link issues.

Illinois And Indiana

Responsible for all fiber maintenance, restoration, and documentation for north area of Chicago market. This includes installing, test and turn up of new optical equipment, emergency repairs, auditing router and switch port assignments for scheduled maintenance, submitting and overseeing scheduled maintenance tickets, preliminary ride out and planing for new build and upgrade fiber builds, act as mentor and trainer for technicians regarding outside plant fiber and secondary hub optics, as well as on-call for fiber and optics related problems. In this time, I created all AutoCAD fiber splicing documentation for northern IL and performed over 50,000 fiber splices.

Illinois, United States

Started career as cable installer and worked my way up through service tech, Line tech and construction lineman holding several positions in each area from 1997 -2001

United States

The Open XR Optics Forum’s mission is to foster collaboration that will advance development of XR optics-enabled products and services, accelerate adoption of intelligent coherent point-to-point and point-to-multipoint network architectures, and drive standardization of networking interfaces to ensure ease of multi-vendor interoperability and an open, multi-source solution ecosystem.

Member and contributor of two papers published in the fall technical forum.