You could even think about a jiggly red dot darting back and forth across a long-forgotten PowerPoint presentation in some darkened auditorium. Others are reminded of Hollywood-inspired weaponry that cuts through cold, hard steel or soft, pliant flesh. Dropping into a Reaganesque reverie, some even think about Star Wars technology zapping threatening missiles out of the sky. Since its introduction, a legion of laser-dependent applications have been touted, but far fewer have actually taken hold. Now, it s broadband s turn.
Fiber optics is dandy, but it sure doesn t come cheap.
True, these high-capacity glass strands and related electronics have revolutionized broadband telecommunications, but as fiber moves closer to the home, construction costs rise exponentially. Given that cable operators got in the business to transport entertainment to millions of consumer homes, it s no surprise that fiber upgrades have been concentrated in residential areas. Businesses, office parks and high-rise buildings have traditionally been sidestepped. Quite often, that last mile of connectivity between a business and a cable network has been difficult to justify economically because most cable operators have little to offer beyond entertainment services. The numbers support the magnitude of the task, as well as the cost of taking fiber into non-residential markets.