There have been profound changes in optical waveguide technology over the past 10 years. Rapid advances have been made in optical performance characteristics --such as attenuation and bandwidth.There have also been significant improvements in the types of coatings used, fiber tolerances, fiber strength, lengths available, etc. At the same time, the demand for optical waveguides has increased rapidly and fiber production has moved from the R/D laboratory to full -scale manufacturing plants.Fiber prices have dropped dramatically and fiber types have been designed and optimized for specific market segments.In the future, performance /cost trade -offs will be appropriate and fibers optimized for specific market applications will become the norm. Economic trade -offs will take place as users and manufacturers work together to optimize the total system to be most cost-effective.
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