An engineer must have economic reasons for everything that is on the network schematic. In order achieve the most logical, economical design strategy, it is critical to study and plan the field placement of network elements such as the central office, nodes, cabinets, and splitters. The FTTx Outside Plant Design Fundamentals session focuses on cost-effective planning of FTTx network designs, fiber feeder routes, and proper splitter placement for PON or active Ethernet systems. The session compares and contrasts distributed, centralized, home run, and point-to-point network field configurations in the outside plant. The content examines design benchmarks and installation parameters for high-rise buildings, campus style apartments, single-family residential areas, and rural areas, as well as the impact of dynamic issues such as take rate and density on economical deployment.