Optical Communication Market and Its Technological Development Trend

　　According to Pioneer's latest statistics and forecasts, the global metropolitan optical network market will grow from $2.981 billion in 2001 to $13.175 billion in 2005. The central question now is which new technology will dominate the rapidly growing metropolitan optical network market? According to DeLL'Qro, the global optical transmission market, including metropolitan DWDM, long-distance (land) network DWDM and SONET/SDH multiplexer, will grow from $23.5 billion in 2000 to $57.3 billion in 2005. Among them, the DWDM market will grow from $7.4 billion in 2000 to $36.5 billion in 2005, while the SONET/SDH multiplexer market will grow slowly, from $16.1 billion in 2000 to $20.8 billion in 2005. According to RHK's latest statistics, the SDH and WDM markets in the Asia-Pacific region reached US$3.5 billion in 2000, up 63% from US$2.2 billion in 1999. RHK expects the Asia-Pacific SDH and WDM market to reach US$17.2 billion in 2004, making it the third largest SDH and WDM market after US$45.4 billion in North America and US$36.4 billion in undersea optical communications. At a time when investors are worried about the slowdown in the growth of optical transmission equipment markets in the United States and Europe, the Asia-Pacific market is still ahead. The explosive growth of communications traffic in backbone networks and metropolitan area networks (MANs) caused by the rapid development of the Internet and the continuous expansion of network construction caused by market opening are the main reasons for the rapid development of SDH and WDM markets in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
The development of optical communication technology in the world is very fast, especially the laboratory level is very high and the commercialization speed is amazing. In terms of application scope, the development of optical communication technology has two main directions: the development of backbone transmission to high-speed, large-capacity OTN optical transmission network, and ultimately to achieve all-optical network; access to low-cost, integrated access, broadband optical access network, and ultimately to achieve optical fiber to home and optical fiber to desktop. From the various parts of optical communication, equipment, systems, optical fibers, optical cables, passive and active devices have made considerable progress. From the perspective of universal use, optical communication technology covers all areas of communication and has been widely used. In optical access network, whether active optical access DLC mode or passive access PON mode, most countries start from FTTC or FTTB. It reduces the cost of optical fiber access as much as possible from the aspects of optical fiber cable, devices, equipment, construction and maintenance.
In the aspect of integrated broadband optical access, ATM-PON technology is mainly used at present. This is the result of the combination of passive optical network and ATM technology, which can provide a variety of services for the 21st century. Although in recent years, ATM and IP disputes seem to be at a disadvantage, and also affect the advancement of ATM-PON. However, FSAN Group, which is composed of 14 major telecom operators in the world, is still cooperating closely, exchanging information and experience with each other, and vigorously promoting the research, development and standardization of ATM-PON. At present, six companies have developed prototypes of products. The customers are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, institutions and ordinary residents. The price is 1.5 times that of narrowband PON, but the types and quality of services provided will be much better than that of narrowband PON.