Fiber Optics Mediated Teleconferencing

Broadband transmission and distribution facilities are finally coming into commercial use as the privacy and security aspects as well as the cost effectiveness of in-house local networks are beginning to be appreciated. The local networks encompass a wide variety of service offerings that include various types of data transmission systems, monitoring and control systems, and video systems. It is expected that the much talked about integrated video teleconferencing capabilities will become a commercial success with the help of the enhanced transmission medium--namely fiber optics. This medium provides a commercial system provider with a flexible, reliable and a high growth capacity facility that not only accommodates traditional operations but adds value by providing new revenue sources. Fiber optics development, which is significantly supported by defense related R & D funds, is viewed from the CATV perspective by organizations such as Times Fiber Communications who bridge the special marketplace of intra busi-ness teleconferencing and the new technology. It is the intention of Times Fiber to develop components, methods and practices that are in conformance with the current CATV industry practices so that an orderly transition to the use of a new transmission technology could be effected in a painless way. This presentation is an attempt to look at the development of one commercially attractive service offering that a present CATV operation could offer over a fiber optics trunk.