Modern Cable Television Technology, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13 Wavelength-Division Multiplexing

13.1 Introduction

Chapter 12 covered the basics of linear fiber-optic signal transportation. These are applicable to situations in which just a single optical signal is sent through each fiber. Fibers, however, are capable of carrying multiple independent optical signals on different wavelengths simultaneously with a minimum of mutual interaction. The general term for such shared use of fiber is wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). A network design may choose to use WDM as an economical alternative to installing more fibers or as a means for combining signals that will be detected simultaneously by a common receiver. Both techniques have applications in cable systems.

This chapter will deal with ...