| HFC network
HFC networks combine both
optical-fiber and coaxial cable lines. Optical fiber runs from the cable
head end to neighborhoods of 500 to 2,000 subscribers. Coaxial cable runs
from the optical-fiber feeders to each subscriber. Hybrid networks provide
many of fiber's reliability and bandwidth benefits at a lower cost than a
pure fiber network. As of late 1996, about 7 percent of cable systems had
been upgraded to HFC. |