Optical fiber technology was originally developed for long-haul transmissions in the late 20th century. The concept of using fiber optic cables for access networks was initially proposed in the 1980s, decades before the internet and broadband access became ubiquitous in modern society.
By 2018, China alone had deployed more than 350 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections, demonstrating the massive scale of fiber access network deployment worldwide.
| Period | Development | Key Technology | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | Initial concept of fiber access | Basic optical fiber transmission | Foundation for future development |
| 1990s | Early FTTH trials | Point-to-point fiber connections | Limited deployment due to cost |
| 2000s | PON standardization | Passive Optical Networks | Cost-effective shared infrastructure |
| 2010s | Mass deployment | GPON, EPON technologies | Hundreds of millions of connections |
| 2020s | Next-generation networks | 10G+ PON, 5G fronthaul | Ultra-high bandwidth services |