Fiber to the home: the technology behind Heathrow

In July 1989, Southern Bell began deploying a fiber access system capable of carrying 54 cable television (CATV) channels, as well as plain old telephone service (POTS) and integrated services digital network (ISDN) services in Heathrow, Florida. Four areas that must be addressed before these services can be successfully deployed in volume are discussed. They are integrating narrowband and broadband services on the same fiber, choosing a fiber architecture, designing the optical-network interface for multiple services, and designing a centralized digital video-selector switch.<>