Regional and Metro Telecommunications

Abstract

Regional and metro telecommunication systems bridge the gap between the local networks that serve your community and the long-distance telecommunications that form the backbone of the global network. Their function is to collect signals from points across the region and distribute them within the region and to major nodes of long-distance systems. In general, the operation and design of regional and metro networks fall between those of long-distance and local systems: They typically span shorter distances and carry lower-speed signals than long-distance backbone networks, but span longer distances and carry faster signals than local networks. They also differ in connectivity from long-distance and local networks. In this chapter you’ll learn about these differences and how regional and metro networks work.