Is Verizon behind this HP report regarding Optical & IP based Network?

I say YES! As Portuno pointed out Verizon will liscence out the technology to others to avoid Anti-trust issues:

Based on yesterdays Verizon news:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070522/nytu194.html?.v=58

"Verizon is the only major telecom company building fiber all the way to customers' homes on a mass scale. The company is the first and only major communications and entertainment provider to be certified by the independent Fiber to the Home Council as providing customers with 100 percent fiber-optic service."

Todays News:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=NX3MKKBDAHYYCQSNDLPCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=199701530

HP and Internet2 Build Enhanced Net 'Observatory'
The goal is to provide real time data analysis on the Internet2 optical- and IP-based network.
By Paul McDougall InformationWeek May 23, 2007 06:49 PM
Hewlett-Packard(HP) Is teaming up with the Internet2 networking consortium to build an enhanced version of a system used to monitor the flow of data across the Internet2 research network.
Scientists at HP's ProCurve Networking unit are working with their counterparts at the Internet2 group to upgrade the Internet2 Observatory, which provides real time data analysis on the Internet2 optical- and IP-based network.
Internet2 is a consortium of hundreds of academic, government and private industry researchers tasked with developing next generation networking technologies for use on a dedicated branch of the Internet.
The upgraded Observatory tools are being deployed on Internet2's new HOPI (Hybrid Optical And Packet Infrastructure) network -- a hybrid infrastructure that consists of optical and packet technologies. HOPI is designed provide users with more than 100 gigabits per second of capacity -- enabling researchers to provision optical circuits on demand.
The upgraded Observatory will for the first time give researchers the ability to study data not only on the IP part of HOPI, but also on dynamically provisioned optical waves, according to HP.
The Internet2 Observatory uses ProCurve Switch 5412 and 3500yl series equipment. The Switch 5400 series are high-port-density, chassis-based, intelligent edge switches with wirespeed Gigabit and 10 Gigabit performance and integrated Gigabit Power-over-Ethernet (PoE).
Internet2 is currently working on a number of other projects designed to achieve breakthroughs in network speed, scalability and reliability. Its End To End Performance Initiative, for instance, aims to find ways to embed network monitoring tools directly into the network infrastructure, enabling faster and more reliable diagnostics.