The wireless art and the wired force of subscriber access

Different technologies for subscriber access are put side by side. Starting from the various transmission media characteristics of all systems, the well-known twisted pair lines with their corresponding digital subscriber line services are evaluated against wireless local loops, communications over ubiquitous power lines, high-bandwidth cable modems, and mobile radio. Each technology has its advantages and disadvantages. The different technologies will find their fields of applications. Most networks will have to provide a mixture of solutions for individual subscribers and customer segments to meet their boundary conditions. As a result, the future of subscriber access is a hybrid solution.