Abstract
The concept of using optical wavelength to carry different communications channels dates back to the 1960’s. However it was not until the mid 1980’s that WDM systems were first tried on a commercial scale. At that time, the technical practicality was understood, but the technology could not be produced at a cost that could compete with the ever increasing capacities made available by faster electronics and by falling costs of installing optical fibre cable. WDM has had to wait a further decade before being taken seriously again, as higher and higher system speeds stretch the capabilities of electronics.
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag London Limited
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Hill, G. (1997). Optical Networks: from Myth to Reality. In: Prati, G. (eds) Photonic Networks. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0979-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0979-2_1
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