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:

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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