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238 Chapter 10

We have journeyed through many of the technical (although hope-
fully not too technical) details including the following:

How and why fiber was invented
The different forms of fiber optics
The basis of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) standards

The International Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)
standards

The use of various colors of light in Dense Wave Division
Multiplexins (DWDM)

Optical switching and cross connects
The applications that require the bandwidth
The market

Each of the building blocks that we stacked upon each other is
designed to get us to an end. The point is that once we know how all
the pieces fit together (as shown in Figure 10-1) we can then project
where it will take us in the future.
After reviewing what we learned, what can we do with all this
bandwidth? Let’s think about what we may need for the future. Over
the next five to 10 years, the thought process is that we will want
high-speed bandwidth to the door. That door may be business loca-
tions, or it may be residential. Broadband communications for the
future is what everyone keeps touting, but few have actually caused
this to materialize.
So that I do not sound cynical, few “killer” applications will
demand the bandwidth about which everyone is talking. We all hear
about the Internet enabling technologies that will bring interactive
two-way multimedia applications to the door. That will happen, but
it has to be reasonably priced before the masses jump up and sign
on. So what else can there be?