Book excerpt: Passive optical network (PON) technologies have become an important broadband access technology as a result of the growing demand for bandwidth-hungry video-on-demand applications. Written by the leading researchers and industry experts in the field, Passive Optical Networks provides coherent coverage of networking technologies, fiber optic transmission technologies, as well as the electronics involved in PON system development. Features: - An in-depth overview of PON technologies and the potential applications that they enable - Comprehensive review of all major PON standards and architecture evolutions, as well as their pros and cons - Balanced coverage of recent research findings with economic and engineering considerations - Presents system issues of protocols, performance, management and protection - Extensive references to standards and research materials for further studies This book provides an authoritative overview of PON technologies and system requirements and is ideal for engineers and managers in industry, university researchers, and graduate students. - Balances treatment of the optical technologies with systems issues such as protocols, performance, management and protection - Covers latest developments in WDM-PONS, protection switching, dynamic bandwidth allocation - Practical coverage with a chapter on PON applications and deployment - Case studies on implementing PONs