Optical Networking White Papers

FSO and Fiber: Complementary Technologies for Today’s Networks

• Tags:
• optical networking,
• optical,
• bandwidth,
• end users

Overview Today's information economy depends on the transmission of data, voice and multimedia across telecommunication networks. Despite new technologies that enable legacy copper telephone lines to carry information more efficiently, optical networks remain the most ideal medium for ultra high-bandwidth communications and true connectivity.
There are two distinct types of optical communications: Fiber Optics (fiber-optic cable) and Free-Space Optics (FSO). For long-haul network deployments, nothing is better than fiber. When coupled with new Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex (DWDM) technologies, fiber optics is capable of carrying information at 40 Gbps (gigabits per second). However, for making connections over relatively short distances in cities-the "last mile" between the fiber and the metro concentration of end users-fiber and FSO often rely on one another for success. It's no surprise. The two technologies not only come from the same family tree, they are nearly identical twins.

The last two decades have seen huge investments in building a global fiber network core, leveraged with the promise of generating increased bandwidth access and services to meet growing needs. Meeting projected bandwidth needs, however, depends on customers having access to optical networks. This has yet to fully occur in the metropolitan areas, which remain a relatively untapped bandwidth access market where a mere 5 percent to 7 percent of end users are connected to fiber-optic networks.

Fiber optics is being deployed at a measured and sustained pace, but the cost to do so is often high, the process long and the investment irreversible. Conversely, FSO complements fiber optics in metro networks with considerably less expense, faster deployment, and flexible service rollouts in any network topology.

• 
• Did you find this white paper useful? 5 out of 7 users found this white paper useful

• Subscribe to the IT White Papers Newsletter
• White Paper RSS