Optical networking represents telecom's future. If the flurry of investments and acquisitions isn't enough evidence, surely you've noticed that this technology is popping up everywhere from the backbone to metro. The continued deployment of fiber optic technologies has both service providers and business customers excited about the prospect of using bandwidth-intensive applications that will change the way we do business. However, without an elimination of the bandwidth bottlenecks that exist in the firstmile - the most congested piece of the network - it will be impossible for these services ever to be delivered to the business customer. Until now, the last mile of the public network has served as the last bastion of refuge for the century-old copper infrastructure. While it has been infused with a temporary breath of life by bandwidth-enhancing technologies such as digital subscriber line (DSL), recent innovations in optical networking are now transforming the copper access network into the optical last mile - making a compelling case for a diminished reliance on copper as an access and distribution technology.
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