Fiber to the x


Fiber to the x or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. As fiber optic cables are able to carry much more data than copper cables, especially over long distances, copper telephone networks built in the 20th century are being replaced by fiber. The carrier equipment for FTTx is often housed in a "fiber hut", point of presence or central office.
FTTX is a generalization for several configurations of fiber deployment, arranged into two groups: FTTP/FTTH/FTTB and FTTC/N.
Residential areas already served by balanced pair distribution plant call for a trade-off between cost and capacity. The closer the fiber head, the higher the cost of construction and the higher the channel capacity. In places not served by metallic facilities, little cost is saved by not running fiber to the home.
Fiber to the x is the key method used to drive next-generation access, which describes a significant upgrade to the broadband available by making a step change in speed and quality of the service. This is typically thought of as asymmetrical with a download speed of plus and a fast upload speed.
Ofcom have defined super-fast broadband as "broadband products that provide a maximum download speed that is greater than this threshold is commonly considered to be the maximum speed that can be supported on current generation networks."
A similar network called a hybrid fiber-coaxial network is used by cable television operators but is usually not synonymous with "fiber In the loop", although similar advanced services are provided by the HFC networks. Fixed wireless and mobile wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3GPP Long Term Evolution are an alternative for providing Internet access.

Definitions

The telecommunications industry differentiates between several distinct FTTX configurations. The terms in most widespread use today are:
  • FTTE is a networking approach used in the enterprise building. Fiber reaches directly from the main distribution frame of a building out to the edge devices, eliminating the need for intermediate distribution frames.
  • FTTP : This term is used either as a blanket term for both FTTH and FTTB, or where the fiber network includes both homes and small businesses
  • *FTTH : Fiber reaches the boundary of the living space, such as a box on the outside wall of a home. Passive optical networks and point-to-point Ethernet are architectures that are capable of delivering triple-play services over FTTH networks directly from an operator's central office. Typically providing between 1 and
  • *FTTB : Fiber reaches the boundary of the building, such as the basement in a multi-dwelling unit, with the final connection to the individual living space being made via alternative means, similar to the curb or pole technologies. It can currently reach symmetrical 10 Gbit/s with G.mgfast.
  • *FTTD can mean two different things:
  • **: In an office, fiber connection is installed from the main computer room to a desk or fiber media converter near the user's desk
  • **: Fiber reaches outside the flat
  • *FTTR can mean three different things:
  • **: Fiber runs to the transceivers of base stations
  • **: Fiber connection is installed from the router to the ISP's fiber network
  • **: Fiber connection is extended from the router to rooms in the building
  • *FTTO : Fiber connection is installed from the main computer room/core switch to a special mini-switch located at the user's workstation or service points. This mini-switch provides Ethernet services to end user devices via standard twisted pair patch cords. The switches are decentralised and located all over the building, but managed from one central point
  • *FTTF can mean five different things:
  • **: fiber runs to factory buildings
  • **: fiber runs to agricultural farms
  • **: a synonym of FTTN
  • **: fiber reaches a junction box at a floor of a building
  • **: This is very similar to FTTB. In a fiber to the front yard scenario, each fiber node serves a single subscriber. It can currently reach symmetrical 10 Gbit/s with G.mgfast. The fiber node may be reverse-powered by the subscriber modem
  • *FTTM can mean four different things:
  • **: In a factory, fiber runs to machines
  • **: Fiber runs to wireless masts
  • **: Fiber runs to base stations
  • **: FTTP to apartment buildings
  • *FTTT can mean three different things:
  • **: In an office, fiber runs to desktop equipment
  • **: Fiber reaches base stations
  • **: For example, at hacker camps such as BornHack in Denmark.
  • *FTTW : In an office, fiber runs to small switches near a group of users
  • FTTA can mean two different things:
  • *: Fiber runs to street cabinets
  • *: Fiber runs up antenna towers
  • FTTCS : fiber reaches the base station site
  • FTTE / FTTZ : is a form of structured cabling typically used in enterprise local area networks, where fiber is used to link the main computer equipment room to an enclosure close to the desk or workstation. FTTE and FTTZ are not considered part of the FTTX group of technologies, despite the similarity in name.
  • FTTdp : This is very similar to FTTC / FTTN but is one-step closer again, moving the end of the fiber to within meters of the boundary of the customers premises in the last possible junction box, known as the "distribution point". This allows for near-gigabit speeds
  • FTTL : general term
  • FTTN / FTTLA : Fiber is terminated in a street cabinet, possibly miles away from the customer premises, with the final connections being copper. FTTN is often an interim step toward full FTTH and is typically used to deliver 'advanced' triple-play telecommunications services
  • FTTC / FTTK : This is very similar to FTTN, but the street cabinet or pole is closer to the user's premises, typically within, within range for high-bandwidth copper technologies such as wired Ethernet or IEEE 1901 power line networking and wireless Wi-Fi technology. FTTC is occasionally ambiguously called FTTP, leading to confusion with the distinct fiber-to-the-premises system. Typically providing up to
  • FTTS can mean three different things:
  • * : On an airplane, fiber reaches the IFE screens
  • * : The customer is connected using copper to the fiber passing near the building, up to away. This is a compromise between FTTB and FTTC. Typically providing up to
  • * : This is a synonym for FTTP
To promote consistency, especially when comparing FTTH penetration rates between countries, the three FTTH Councils of Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific agreed upon definitions for FTTH and FTTB in 2006, with an update in 2009, 2011 and another in 2015. The FTTH Councils do not have formal definitions for FTTC and FTTN.

Benefits

While fiber optic cables can carry data at high speeds over long distances, copper cables used in traditional telephone lines and ADSL cannot. For example, the common form of Gigabit Ethernet runs over relatively economical category 5e, category 6 or 6A unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling but only to. However, Ethernet over fiber can easily reach tens of kilometers. Therefore, FTTP has been selected by every major communications provider in the world to carry data over long symmetrical connections directly to consumer homes. FTTP configurations that bring fiber directly into the building can offer the highest speeds since the remaining segments can use standard Ethernet or coaxial cable.
Fiber is often said to be "future-proof" because the data rate of the connection is usually limited by the terminal equipment rather than the fiber, permitting substantial speed improvements by equipment upgrades before the fiber itself must be upgraded. Still, the type and length of employed fibers chosen, e.g. multimode vs. single-mode, are critical for applicability for future connections of over.
With the rising popularity of high-definition, on-demand video streaming applications and devices such as YouTube, Netflix, Roku, and Facebook LIVE, the demand for reliable bandwidth is crucial as more and more people begin to utilize these services.
FTTC is generally too far from the users for standard Ethernet configurations over existing copper cabling. They generally use very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line at downstream rates of, but this falls extremely quickly when the distance exceeds.

Fiber to the premises

Fiber to the premises is a form of fiber-optic communication delivery in which an optical fiber is run in an optical distribution network from the central office all the way to the premises occupied by the subscriber. The term "FTTP" has become ambiguous and may also refer to FTTC where the fiber terminates at a utility pole without reaching the premises.
Fiber to the premises can be categorized according to where the optical fiber ends:
  • FTTH is a form of fiber-optic communication delivery that reaches one living or working space. The fiber extends from the central office to the subscriber's living or working space. Once at the subscriber's living or working space, the signal may be conveyed throughout the space using any means, including twisted pair, coaxial cable, wireless, power line communication, or optical fiber.
  • FTTB is a form of fiber-optic communication delivery that necessarily applies only to those properties that contain multiple living or working spaces. The optical fiber terminates before actually reaching the subscribers living or working space itself, but does extend to the property containing that living or working space. The signal is conveyed the final distance using any non-optical means, including twisted pair, coaxial cable, wireless, or power line communication.
An apartment building may provide an example of the distinction between FTTH and FTTB. If a fiber is run to a panel inside each subscriber's apartment unit, it is FTTH. If instead, the fiber goes only as far as the apartment building's shared electrical room, it is FTTB.