The idea of using optical fiber to connect equipment at the customer premises to carrier facilities has existed for at least a couple of decades. For the concept to become a reality, several enabling factors had to be addressed, including the following:

• the availability of affordable multiplexing equipment
• the deployment of fiber cables in sufficient quantity to create a critical mass for service offerings
• the readiness of service providers to offer services

In addition, a market had to be developed to make use of the optical fiber-bandwidth capacity.