The Best and the Worst
When
World War III started on Sept. 11, communications technology was put
to the supreme test in New York City. While we struggle to
understand the barbaric attack on innocent civilians by a primitive,
medieval tribal society, we have found again that ingenuity and
resolve rises against incredible obstacles.
The
loss of the World Trade towers was a devastating blow in ways not
always visible to the television cameras. The loss of Con Ed's power
grid and the loss of most of the areas telephone exchanges brought
communications in the area to an absolute standstill. One of the
technologies ironically being tested in the area at the time of the
sneak attack, was FSO, or Free-Space Optics. a trade marl of
Lightpointe Inc. (http://www.lightpointe.com).
Fiber
optics have been used for many years to replace traditional copper
transmission media. By inputting controlled, disciplined light,
usually by laser, into a fiberglass "pipe," fiber optics
has elevated communications to new levels of speed and efficiency.
Ironically,
the technology being tested in New York was a laser transmission and
reception system without the fiber-optic cable. The system uses
"line of sight," which means the transmitting and receiving
stations must physically be able to see each other. Lightpointe was
being tested by a BLEC (Building Local Exchange Carrier), Rockefeller
Group Telecom Services. The FSO system replaced two high speed T-l
trunks Without the need to run cables or access any part of a
physical network.
The equipment was
installed using switches and PBXs available from unaffected customers
outside the
boundaries of the
affected area. Lightpointe claims the equipment can
normally be set-up in a few hours as there is no spectrum licensing
required. FSO is considered an optical medium. not a wireless one.
There
are several planning issues about environmentally protecting the
"light beam." Physical obstructions, such as a bird flying
between the two transceivers, would cause a momentary but not
unrecoverable loss of carrier and data. Rain or snow, however. have
little or no effect on the system . According to Lightpointe, the
only natural impediment to the flow of data is fog. as it disperses
the light through the suspended water droplets.
Whether
or not FSO is adapted by industry for standard use remains to be
seen. The fact that it was adapted to solve a crises in communication
proves that ingenuity and quick thinking is alive and well in this
country. The FSO story is but one of many about replacing damaged
telephone or data systems in the area around the
World Trade center. While many systems are back in business in the
surrounding area with backup or temporary facilities, repairing all
of the power grids and networks is a monumental task that cannot be
completed until the final bit of debris is removed.
When
history looks back at us in a thousand years, will they see another
Rome, defeated by the Barbarians, or will they see that the United
States and the rest of the unified Free World triumphed over evil?
It will take far more than technology to win; but it certainly
showcases the ability to rise above adversity and terror, and the
ability to think on our feet.
George
Mindling
©
2001
