Optical bus architecture for co-deployment of telephone and CATV services in the FRG

An integrated optical-fiber-based system which provides both CATV and telephone service to the home has been designed under contract to the Deutsche Bundespost and is planned for pilot installation early in the 1990s in Cologne. A passive optical bus provides the subscriber with access to network services. The optical signal is noninvasively coupled at the street for processing and final connection to the subscriber with copper wire drops. The telephone portion of the network initially provides conventional telephone service based on digital transmission technology, yet is configured to support the development of new services. The CATV portion of the network is designed to be functionally equivalent to the coaxial system now being installed, while offering advantages in reliability and future expansion possibilities