BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK
PERCENT OF THE FIBER IS ACTUALLY LIT IN USE) WILL DRIVE THE PRICES DOWN TO UNBELIEVABLE DEALS FOR THE END USER AND TO THE CHAGRIN OF THE CARRIERS UNFORTUNATELY THESE REPORTS ARE BOTH CORRECT AND WRONG AT THE SAME TIME TRUE, THERE IS A LOT OF FIBER IN THE GROUND AND MUCH OF IT IS DARK UNFORTUNATELY, MANY PEOPLE IGNORE THE FACT THAT THE FIBER IS OLD TECHNOLOGY (HAVING BEEN DISPLACED BY THE NEWER FORMS OF GLASS AND ELECTRONICS) AND THEREFORE IT IS NOT ECONOMICAL TO ATTEMPT USING IT THIS MEANS THAT MUCH OF THE GLUT THAT IS BEING DISCUSSED REALLY DOESN'T EXIST; IT MEANS THAT IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO REMOVE THE GLASS IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION ALSO TRUE IS THE FACT THAT THE EMERGING DATA NETWORKING STANDARDS AND DEMANDS COOLED OFF DURING 2000 AND 2001 WHILE THE BOTTOM FELL OUT OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKET AS WELL AS THE INTERNET SUPPLIERS WHAT EVERYONE FAILS TO SEE IS THAT THIS WAS A CYCLIC CORRECTION OF THE MARKET AND THAT THE TRUE BANDWIDTH DEMANDS FOR REAL?TIME PACKET?SWITCHED NETWORKS, REAL?TIME VOICE APPLICATIONS, AND HIGH?SPEED MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS ARE ALL STILL DEVELOPING THE NEXT SET OF EXPLOSIVE DEMAND WILL START ROLLING AGAIN WHEN WE SEE THE TRUE VALUE OF THE REAL?TIME QOS?ORIENTED AND MULTIMEDIA DEMANDS OF OUR NETWORKS MOREOVER, WHEN THE INTERNET FINALLY STARTS CARRYING THE TIME?SENSITIVE DATA DEMANDS OF THE MISSION?CRITICAL SERVICES IN AN ENTERPRISE, THE DEMAND FOR FASTER, BETTER, AND CHEAPER WILL ROLL AGAIN CONSEQUENTLY, UNTIL FIBER IS DEPLOYED ALL THE WAY TO THE CUSTOMER PREMISES, PORTIONS OF THE NETWORK WILL CONTINUE TO PRESENT THE SAME SPEED AND THROUGHPUT LIMITATIONS HINDERING THE ROLLOUT OF THE TRUE TIME?SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS A CAVEAT HERE IS THAT THE VENDORS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP "BAND?AID" APPROACHES TO USING COPPER AND COAX SERVICES UNTIL AND WHEN FIBER REACHES THE DOOR THESE BAND?AID APPROACHES HELP TO KEEP THE NETWORK ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE DEMAND CURVE, BUT THEY WILL BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK