To: Guy who wrote (2790 ) 8/23/1999 12:15:00 PM From: lml Read Replies (1) | Respond to
Let me add . . .fiber communication devices you speak of, one reason they slow speed is that if they are routers or switches the light must first be converted to electronic signals, routed, then re-converted back to light. Light is considered "dumb" while electronic signals "intelligent" when traveling over ATM & TCP/IP networks. I believe some light switching devices do exist that permit the "dropping off" of certain light signals intended to be routed elsewhere.cable may refer to the physical layer, or cable plant in general. I believe Chalu was referring to cable plant since cable may be fiber, co-axial or even copper pairs laid in the same sheath. The word "cable" is often used to refer to the type of plant cable companies rely upon as opposed to copper plant used by most telecos to deliver residential services. Today, cable plant should mean HFC or hybrid fiber co-axial, with today's more sophisticated architecture consisting of fiber-optic trunks serving nodes from which co-axial copper lines branch out to serve residential customers.DSL is a technology of provisioning tradition copper pairs running from the phone company's switching office (CO)to the residence so that bandwidth over which digital traffic may delivered is increased. The technology basically permits the transmission of digital signals over copper along bandwidths not utilized in voice transmission.
