here's a glut of optical bandwidth in the backbone already, with rapidly falling prices, and there is a lack of new, high-bandwidth killer applications (although, as discussed in Chapter 10, "Next-Generation Networks," we are finally beginning to see prices stabilize and demand for bandwidth grow). Nonetheless, many such applications are under development and increasingly entering the realm of commercial deployment. It's only a matter of time before we start to see the all- optical network come to be. As discussed in this chapter, the goals of optical backbones include the migra- tion from ring to mesh topologies; greater control of connections; the ability to pro- vision circuit-switched bandwidth on demand; the extension of the reach of optical links to thousands of kilometers without amplification or regeneration; the integra- tion of DWDM or CWDM with switches to reduce cost and complexity; support of increasingly higher speeds from OC-768, or 40Gbps, to levels we've not yet defined; and scaling of switches to hundreds or thousands of lambdas per fiber port. Given the continuing growth in processing power and storage, the development of band- width-hungry applications, the growing demand for broadband connectivity, and the unique properties of the optical spectrum, there is little question that the next- generation network infrastructure will be based on end-to-end optical networking. Chapter Broadband Access Alternatives Whereas Chapter 2, "Traditional Transmission Media," discusses each of the tradi- tional transmission media types, this chapter focuses on the important aspects of and considerations in deploying the media types associated with broadband access. It primarily explores wired broadband solutions, including the growing xDSL fam- ily, cable TV networks, a variety of fiber alternatives, and broadband powerline telecommunications (PLT). This chapter also briefly discusses the wireless options, to put them into context; however, given the growing importance of wireless com- munications and mobility,