Introduction

Abstract

In recent years, Internet technology has been one of the major driving forces behind new developments in the area of telecommunications. The volume of Internet data traffic, i.e. packet-switched data, increases rapidly. The percentage of people with Internet access grows exponentially, too. More and more tasks of daily life can be carried out over the Internet. Meanwhile, Internet access has become almost mandatory in business life. In order to reflect this development, network operators make huge efforts to meet the expected growth of the customers’ demands. Backbone as well as access networks are being upgraded in continually shorter intervals. Broadband access networks are currently built using technologies like Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL), which drive the demands for even more powerful backbone networks.