General conclusion
Comparison of optical and electrical links

It's not easy to come to an overall conclusion about the various transmission media and communications techniques, as there are many constraints and compromises to be made. Table 6 sets out the main advantages and disadvantages to be taken into account when choosing a communication device. Boxes marked with (–) show the disadvantages of row-based versus column-based communication areas and techniques, while boxes marked with (+) show the advantages of column-based versus row-based areas and techniques.