Broadband networks are among the fastest growing segment in telecom. The initial and still very significant push
originated with xDSL technologies and indeed a significant amount of research and development is still occurring in this
field with impressive results and allowing for a remarkable use of the installed copper infrastructure way beyond its
originally planned bandwidth capabilities. However it is clear that ultimately a more suitable fiber based infrastructure
will be needed in order to reduce both operational and network technology costs. Such cost reduction in inevitable as the
added value to end users is only related to services and these cannot be priced outside a sensible window, whilst the
related bandwidth increase is much more dramatic and its huge variability must be met with little or no cost impact by
the network and its operation. Fiber in access has indeed the potential to cope with a huge bandwidth demand for many
years to come as its inherent bandwidth capabilities are only just tapped by current service requirements. However the
whole technology supply chain must follow in line. In particular optical technology must brace itself to cope with the
required much larger deployment and greater cost effectiveness, whilst at the same time deliver performance suitable to
the bandwidth increase offered in the longer term by the fiber medium. This paper looks at this issues and debates the
opportunities for a new class of optical devices making use of the progress in optical integration
After many years of debate fiber in access is now a high priority for network transformation. Today broadband services in access networks are a key requirement, initially fuelled by the Internet and more recently pushed even harder by video services. Diffusive video initially and interactive video later are likely to generate even faster bandwidth growth. Networks will need to adapt and change if such new services are to be delivered profitably. Fiber in access offers the potential solution to profitable delivery of high bandwidth services as the medium can offer increase bandwidth and reduced network costs at the same time. This is because of its inherent advantage: a high bandwidth-distance product. However fiber in access does imply both a significant financial investment and a technology challenge. For instance, high bandwidth systems such as DWDM-PON will require a high degree of integration and cost reduction for the basic optical devices. This paper looks at such challenges and sets the scene for the technology roadmap required for this new breed of access networks and devices.
This paper reports on the current technological status and future trend of those optical devices that are crucial for the development of the future optical communication technology. Particular emphasis has been dedicated to identify the active and passive optical components that are needed in advanced optical networks. The discussion of their physical and practical limitations is also subject of this article, as it is felt that these issues will ultimately have a considerable impact on the progress of the future fiber based telecommunication infrastructure.
KEYWORDS: Switches, Asynchronous transfer mode, Signal processing, Switching, Networks, Multiplexers, Standards development, Computer architecture, Fast packet switching, Local area networks
This paper gives an overview of the type of ATM equipment currently being designed which fits in with the strategy of offering both a cost effective way to provide ATM in the public access network during the early phase of its implementation and the capability of evolving towards a fully optimized large capacity ATM node for future applications.
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