First Mile Access Networks and Enabling Technologies

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Summary: First Mile Access Networks and Enabling Technologies
Review: This book provides an interesting in-depth look at first mile access network architectures and technologies. It begins with an introduction to the "Digital Divide" problem and introduces the technologies to be looked at throughout the rest of the text; namely DSL networks (and its derivations), optical fiber networks, cable networks, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and wireless networks.

The author covers passive optical networks first, with a discussion of the various topologies in use, and some of the problems that can be encountered with each one.
This chapter introduces some logarithmic math, but don't worry! The book is well written and easily understandable whether you are looking for an overview of the various technologies, or need a good reference book to look up the formula for the signal loss properties of different media. Equations and formulas are sprinkled throughout the book for reference. ATM, broadband, and Ethernet over optical networks are covered with the advantages and disadvantages of each in relation to cost, performance and protocol issues. Chapter 3 continues the theme with a fairly interesting discussion of CWDM and DWDM (course and dense wave division multiplexing, respectively) and their application to access-area networking.

The next section of the book introduces wireless data communication networks and discusses time, frequency, and code division multiplexing technologies, the theory behind antenna gain and half power beam-width, and the different types of antennas. WLANs and the 802.11 IEEE standard are looked at, with an in-depth look at the evolution of the 802.11 standard, and specifically the 802.11b high rate wireless LAN standard. This leads nicely into the next chapter where IEEE 802.16 is examined, and its use for metropolitan or geographically dispersed end-users. The 802.16 reference model, physical layer, modulation schemes, security standards, quality of service (QoS), and a few design caveats are covered. Chapter 6 introduces free space optics (FSOs) and laser transmitters. This is a particularly interesting chapter as it starts out with the basic operation and theory of FSO and brings the reader right into the nuts and bolts with a fairly thorough look at photo-detectors, optical receivers and performance, noise theory and SNR, the mechanics of lenses and mirrors, and beam scattering factors.

DSL technologies are examined in Chapter 7, which begins with an introduction to the general concepts of DSL and symmetrical and asymmetrical services. A page or two is devoted to a discussion of each of the 7 different flavors of DSL presented in the book, as well as Long-Reach Ethernet (LRE). The chapter wraps up with a brief look at line encoding standards and a few deployment issues that may be encountered with DSL.

Power Line Communication (PLC) within the first mile is looked at next, beginning with a discussion of the various challenges of providing data services over an infrastructure that was designed to transmit power. An real-life case study is used here to illustrate a complete end-to-end PLC solution complete with equipment examples and specifications. The case study is concluded with a look at the HomePlug V1.0 PLC specification and PLC market trends.

Chapter 9 is a slightly less technical in nature, and takes the reader through management and quality of service (QoS) issues of first mile access networks. QoS concepts, routing issues, VLANs, and multi protocol label switching (MPLS) are discussed.

The last couple of chapters are interesting as they neatly pull together all the concepts and information presented in previous chapters. To demonstrate mastery of all the material, Chapter 10 presents a well written, challenging case study in the design and implementation of a complete first mile access network.

Overall, this book serves as a welcome addition to any technical bookshelf. Whether a seasoned technical expert looking for a good reference book, or a beginner looking to learn about first mile access technologies, this book is well written for both audiences. For those looking to test their knowledge on the material covered in this book, each chapter provides a section of insightful and challenging questions.