s from the curb to the home. In addition, all- fiber networks can be used to deliver broadband services. Fiber-to-the-home/fiber- to-the-premises (FTTH/FTTP) goes a step further than FTTN-it brings fiber into the residence. In addition, a generation of technologies called PONs promises to dramatically reduce the cost of deploying FTTH/FTTP. Fiber Solutions FTTx solutions involve some key considerations for providers, including existing infrastructure and geographical density. The current FTTx market is primarily composed of municipalities, utilities, smaller independent and competitive local exchange carriers, MSOs, and incumbent telcos, although it is becoming of greater interest to others, such as ISPs. Most of the sector has focused on the residential home side. On the commercial and MDU fronts, it is believed that cable operators have a keen interest in plugging fiber directly into small and medium-sized busi- nesses and apartment buildings. Incumbent telcos are expected to warm up to FTTx technologies as cable operators achieve more success with the video, voice, and data bundling strategies. High equipment and construction costs have long been a barrier for FTTx, but costs are declining as the technology matures. Thanks to less expensive equipment and more efficient field operations, the costs are now nearly on par with those of advanced HFC architectures. New cable designs can reduce field deployment costs. Ribbon-style cables, which eliminate the jelly found in a traditional buffer tube, cut back on the cleaning and preparation time for field technicians. This reduces cable prep time and labor costs by more than 50%. Current FTTx expense figures, per connected home, range from US$800 to US$2,000. Of course, the price depends on the technology and the footprint reality. Because FTTx is best suited for greenfield environments (i.e., environments that lack any constraints imposed by prior work), some providers see their main market as the international marketplace, where traditional infrastructures are not i