New Options for the Optical Edge
by Michael Finneran

Published March 2002

 

Abstract:

 

While fiber optics and wave-division multiplexing (WDM) have provided the tools to build very-high-capacity core networks, the major challenge to networking remains the access or edge. The disparity could not be more dramatic: Most locations are still served with copper pairs that support up to 1.544 Mbps, while dense WDM (DWDM) systems can transport 160 10-Gbps channels—1.6 Tbps over a single pair of optical fibers. That means the trunk facility has 1 million times the capacity of the access connection.

 

Further, the capacity of those fiber links is nowhere near its theoretical limit.

A number of new access products are appearing as carriers try to extend fiber economically. Some come from traditional telco suppliers, while others are from startups hoping to get a share of what promises to be a multibillion dollar market. The products break into three categories:

 

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Next generation digital loop carrier systems (NGDLCs). 

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Passive optical networks (PONs). 

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Specialized optical access or multiservice provisioning platforms. 


The technical pieces are falling into place, but the future of optical access will be based on having the right technology and the right market perception in a regulatory environment that provides incentives for the delivery of new services.

 

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