Editing Broadband (section)

== A single network for multiple services ==

Traditionally, different telecommunications services were carried via separate networks: voice on the telephone network, data on [[computer network]]s such as [[local area network]]s, video teleconferencing on private corporate networks, and television on [[Broadcasting|broadcast]] radio or cable networks.

These networks were largely engineered for a specific application and are not suited to other applications. For example, the traditional telephone network is too noisy and inefficient for bursty data communication. On the other hand, data networks which store and forward messages using computers had limited connectivity, usually did not have sufficient bandwidth for digitised voice and video signals, and suffer from unacceptable delays for the real-time signals. Television networks using radio or cables were largely broadcast networks with minimum switching facilities.<ref name=Saito/><ref name=Hui/>

It was desirable to have a single network for providing all these communication services to achieve the economy of sharing. This economy motivates the general idea of an integrated services network. Integration avoids the need for many overlaying networks, which complicates network management and reduces flexibility in the introduction and evolution of services. This integration was made possible with advances in broadband technologies and high-speed information processing of the 1990s.<ref name=Saito/><ref name=Hui/>

While multiple network structures were capable of supporting broadband services, an ever-increasing percentage of broadband and MSO<!-- explain! --> providers opted for fibre-optic network structures to support both present and future bandwidth requirements.

[[CATV]] (cable television), [[HDTV]] (high definition television), [[VoIP]] (voice over internet protocol), and [[broadband internet]] are some of the most common applications now being supported by fibre optic networks, in some cases directly to the home (FTTh – Fibre To The Home). These types of fibre optic networks incorporate a wide variety of products to support and distribute the signal from the central office to an optic node, and ultimately to the subscriber (end-user).