Plans and considerations for SONET deployment

A perspective is given from the local exchange carrier (LEC) viewpoint on the advantages of deploying SONET (synchronous optical network), the rate at which SONET will be deployed, some typical early applications and architectures, and the role SONET will play in the evolution of the LEC network of the future. The SONET deployment timeline and capabilities are examined. Aspects of SONET architecture are discussed, namely, the access network, the interoffice transport-network, and SONET operations and control. New network capabilities and services and evolution to broadband are considered