Powering the fiber loop optically-a cost analysis

Author

Banwell, Thomas C. ; Estes, Renée C. ; Reith, Leslie A. ; Shumate, Paul W., Jr. ; Vogel, E.M.

Author_Institution

Bellcore, Morristown, NJ, USA

Volume

11

Issue

3

fYear

1993

fDate

3/1/1993 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

481

Lastpage

494

Abstract

Recent successes in transporting optical power near the 1-W level via optical fiber suggest that it may be possible to operate conventional telephone station sets using electricity derived photovoltaically from light in a fiber. The authors investigate the constraints on optical powering in fiber-in-the-loop (FITL) applications and assess its applicability in terms of end-to-end efficiency, loop length, and system cost. To make this assessment, they look at several different optical-powering system architectures and components vis-a-vis their cost-versus-delivered-power capability. Related issues such as safety and reliability are discussed.

Keywords

costing; optical links; photovoltaic power systems; reliability; safety; subscriber loops; 1 W; FITL; conventional telephone station sets; cost analysis; end-to-end efficiency; fiber in the loop; fiber loop; loop length; optical fiber; optical powering; photovoltaic generation; reliability; safety; Copper; Costs; Optical devices; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber devices; Optical fiber subscriber loops; Optical fiber testing; Optical fibers; Photovoltaic systems; Power system reliability; Safety; Solar power generation; Telecommunication network reliability; Telephony;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/50.219583

Filename

219583