On-Demand TV Expands Via Underused Fiber Highways

Internet technology, which has rapidly changed how many phone calls are made, is beginning to fundamentally change TV.

As big cable companies morph into providers not only of television but also of telephone and high-speed Internet services, they are setting up national fiber-optic networks capable of transmitting all three signals using Internet technology.

The new networks are expected to allow cable companies to offer features combining phone, data and television, such as flashing the phone number of a telephone caller on a TV screen when the phone rings.

By PETER GRANT
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

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