THE LARGER INTERNET II TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT Fiber ...

138 CHAPTER 3 The Internet and World Wide Web
FIGURE 3.15 WORLDWIDE OPTICAL FIBER MARKET GROWTH
Kilometers of Fiber Optic Cable Installed (in Millions)
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
20% CAGR
Millions of Kilometers
1999 2000 2001
2002 2003
Year
Worldwide demand for bandwidth is growing at about 150% per year, with fiber-optic cable sales growing at
a 20% compounded annual growth rate, according to Corning, a leading supplier of fiber-optic cable.
• Optical switches and transmission equipment will enable capacity expansion and
transmission speed increases, along with reduced service costs.
• Gigabit Ethernet using fiber switches is another technological jump that will permit
access to larger Metropolitan Regional Networks, with greater bandwidth and
a shorter connection to the Internet backbone.
• Optical service accounting platforms will impact how data transmission fees are
charged, by fostering packet-sized metering and billing.
• Optical switching components will form the building blocks for all optical systems,
such as switches and transmission equipment, as well as circuits and networks.
• Optical integrated circuits are powerful optical chips with mirrors and lasers that
can be built into new hardware.
• Passive Optical Networks (PON) are high bandwidth fiber-optic networks that have
lower cost and high performance.