ABSTRACT
The advantages of optical fiber–based communication systems are discussed widely in this book. Since their inception the challenge for researchers, designers, and engineers has been to develop technologies capable of exploiting the vast bandwidth available in a reliable, and above all, cost-effective manner. The key to success is the ability to transfer information at the highest speed possible and then deliver the data either to an individual subscriber or, simultaneously, to many users. The latter example is often referred to as a broadcast system, such as a traditional CATV network architecture.
