Summary
Fiber to the home is an innovation (first-time application of an invention). Technical feasability alone, however, does not guarantee an innovation’s success. Rather, economic profitability is the dominant precondition: An innovation will be used only if
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(a)
old technology is replaced by less expensive processes (process innovation) or
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(b)
customers benefit from new features (product innovation).
So far, optical fiber is profitable only in long distance communication/traffic. Will fiber to the home meet an unsatisfied demand for new services? In order to answer that question, two aspects need to be examined:
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(a)
When is the new technology available commercially?
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(b)
What features are customers willing to pay for?
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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg
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Witte, E. (1991). Infrastructure and Innovation. In: Kaiser, W. (eds) Glasfaser bis ins Haus / Fiber to the Home. Telecommunications, vol 16. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-95654-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-95654-6_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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