Broadband local networks

The deployment of single-mode optical fibre systems in the local access net work, together with advanced radio and copper pair transmission techniques, will position the public network operator to meet the increasing demand for higher bandwidth services in the future. Market forces will play a central role in reshaping the access network, both in terms of the technical solutions adopted and the architectural structure itself. End-users are expecting to be provided with a wider and more comprehensive portfolio of services from which to choose; many requiring bandwidths in excess of that provided by current copper pair transmission systems deployed in the access network. The authors describe in some detail the technical developments being applied to the access network and some of the most interesting architecture options under study. In particular they discuss the optical technology involved