Digital technology offers another potential cost savings. It has the flexibility to meet the needs of various architectural requirements by allowing operators to process information where they prefer. They can use their existing hub architecture or build networks with smaller hubs or no hubs at all. Engineers can accomplish this by plugging in digital transmitters and receivers instead of analog equipment. Several major cable operators already have begun taking advantage of digital reverse path solutions.
Subscribers are happier because the signal is less likely to be interrupted for maintenance.
And the option of completely bypassing the hub and transmitting directly from the node to the headend also reduces expenses for operators who are in the process of building networks or want to create passive hubs. Digital technology s flexibility makes it applicable to many situations. In existing networks, receivers can be installed at the hub or headend, depending on the operator s preference, architectural choices and constraints for where the information is processed. Digital reverse path technology also is useful for densely populated areas because its high capacity allows a large number of subscribers to be processed through one fiber. It also offers the extra bandwidth necessary for future network expansions.