n range from 2 to 32, and sometimes more. This is determined by the lay- out of the neighborhood, including lot sizes, home placement, total development shape and size, distance from the headend, and SO on. An additional factor to con- sider is the proximity of homes. For example, with homes placed close to each other, the fiber loss due to the distance from the headend is not an issue. In this case, using 1 X 8 optical splitters reduces the hardware costs while maintaining a similar quality level. With PONs it is also important to manage the fear factor-that is, to minimize the use of underground vaults and rely more on proper placement, accurate docu- mentation, appropriate location schemes and devices, and control of the resource mapping. Up to half the cost of a PON project is in the onsite labor. Field location must be carefully managed. For example, it is important to consider that the mate- rial may not be on the site when needed, there may not be documentation of the headend or local exchange layout, project plans may be out-of-date, splice enclo- sures/splitters may be placed incorrectly, installation time may be incorrectly esti- mated, and labor needs to be overseen to ensure proper installation. PONs significantly reduce the cost of provisioning fiber to the subscriber. They are of increasing interest to independent and local telcos, MSOs, utilities, and municipalities. However, shared channel and bandwidth limitations may impose restrictions in terms of long-term usability. Wireless Broadband Wireless Broadband Broadband wireless access is an increasingly exciting option, especially because cable modems and DSL are not always available as easily and as widely as we would like. Wireless broadband access provides the opportunity to make use of many new technologies, including wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as the popular IEEE 802.11x standards; and wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), including recent IEEE 802.16 WiMax specifications along with several proprietary systems, including