Trends in Telecommunications Several trends are occurring in the field of telecommunications that will affect the electronic communication of information over distance. Continued Growth of Photonics (Fiber Optics) The national telecommunications network will continue to grow in service and capacity. A dominant technology providing this increased capacity is light wave systems, or photonics. Photonics is the use of light for the transmission of information. These systems are used as the backbone for telephone companies installing main cables carrying multiple lines. The first use of light wave technology was a small-scale interconnection of three buildings in C