What is Fiber to the Home (FTTH)?

Fiber to the home (FTTH) is the transmission of communication signals from the operator's switching equipment all the way to the home or business via optical fiber, replacing existing copper infrastructure such as telephone lines and coaxial cables. It is based on optical fiber and provides unprecedented high-speed Internet access. Compared with the technology currently used in most places, FTTH greatly increases the connection speed available to computer users.

FTTH promises connection speeds of up to 100 Mbps, 20 to 100 times faster than a typical cable modem or DSL (digital subscriber line) connection. However, the cost of implementing FTTH on a large scale is quite high because it requires the installation of new cable sets on the "last link" from existing fiber optic cables to individual users. Currently, many cities enjoy widespread fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) service, which refers to the installation and use of fiber optic cables to the curb near homes or businesses, and the transmission of signals between the curb and the end user over a "copper" medium.

What is Fiber Optic?

Fiber optics uses light rather than electricity to transmit signals. It is unique in that it can carry high-bandwidth signals over long distances without signal degradation. Copper wires can also carry high bandwidth, but only for a few hundred yards—after which the signal begins to degrade and the bandwidth becomes narrower. Fiber optics has been used in communications networks for more than 30 years, primarily to carry traffic between cities or countries.

Why are fiber optic cables now being run directly to homes?

Connecting homes directly to fiber-optic cables can greatly increase the bandwidth available to consumers. While DSL and cable modems typically offer transfer speeds of up to 5 megabits per second when downloading (and often slower speeds when uploading), current fiber-optic technology can deliver bidirectional transfer speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. In addition, while cable and DSL providers are working to squeeze small increments of higher bandwidth out of their technology, ongoing improvements in fiber-optic equipment are continually increasing available bandwidth without having to replace the fiber. This is why fiber-optic networks are said to be "future-proof."

Why can't I get these high-bandwidth applications through my DSL or cable modem?

DSL and cable modems rely on copper wires to transmit signals to your home, and copper wires can only provide high bandwidth over short distances. That's fine if you happen to live within a few hundred yards of your provider's switching station, but most people don't. Fiber doesn't have this limitation, so it's able to transmit high-bandwidth signals long distances to homes and businesses. Only fiber-to-the-home can deliver the massive bandwidth needed for future applications.

The Fiber Broadband Association is an organization that provides advocacy, education and resources to companies, organizations and communities that want to deploy the best possible network through fiber to the home, fiber to the business and fiber everywhere. The association's members represent the entire broadband ecosystem, including vendors, suppliers, consultants, consumers, policymakers, equipment manufacturers and application providers. The association can be considered the leading group of innovators in the field.