Optical communications-the origins of the state of the art

The development and application of Optical Communication Systems and Optical Fiber Communication System has been rapid. The first theoretical prediction of practicality occurred in 1966, system experiments in 1976, and economically practical system deployments in 1980. The challenge of lightwave transmission system development was to make systems sensible so they can be installed, operated and maintained by telecommunication technicians, economically relative to alternative systems. An additional challenge to the development of lightwave systems has been the continued rapid evolution and improvement in this technology. Do we introduce today's technology or do we wait for tomorrow's? Optical Fiber or Lightwave Communication Systems have offered important advantages which include large bandwidth and low transmission loss. These advantages will be discussed and analyzed. Special considerations for installation, maintenance and repair of these systems are presented. In the end the nature of lightwave communication systems will be discussed with an example of a past, present and future effort toward implementation. The economic feasibility of this technology and the versatility as an open system architecture will then be presented with a view toward the future.