Abstract

The initial opportunities for fiber to the home were first presented to Sprint in about 1986. Various solutions were offered by suppliers at this time ranging from a switched analog FM technology system to an all digitally switched one. All of these opportunities cost about $6000 to $9000 per living unit. It is not coincidental that at this time the fiber to the home approach was abandoned by all suppliers. In the 1990’s Sprint experimented with Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) designs and fiber to the curb. The Company chose fiber to the curb as the broadband bulk new growth platform of choice toward the end of the 1990’s and implemented this in the field for approximately four years. Sprint planners concluded that network costs for fiber to the home and the fiber to the home technology was ready for near term applications about two years ago. Since that time, planning and engineering with respect to outside plant designs, testing, customer service systems, supplier choices, and network evolution have taken place such that in August the first customer within Sprint was turned up on a Fiber to the Home platform.

© 2004 Optical Society of America