Fiber to the 

x
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"Fiber broadband" redirects here. For the overhead version of data and internet
transmission, see Broadband over power lines.
FTTB, FTTC, FTTD, FTTH, FTTK, FTTN, and FTTP all redirect here. For airports with
those ICAO codes, see List of airports in Chad.

A schematic illustrating how FTTX (Node, Curb, Building, Home) architectures vary with regard to the distance
between the optical fiber and the end user. The building on the left is the central office; the building on the right
is one of the buildings served by the central office. Dotted rectangles represent separate living or office spaces
within the same building.

Fiber to the x (FTTX; also spelled "Fibre") 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. [1]
FTTX is a generalization for several configurations of fiber deployment, arranged into
two groups: FTTP/FTTH/FTTB (Fiber laid all the way to the premises/home/building)
and FTTC/N (fiber laid to the cabinet/node, with copper wires completing the
connection).
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 (NGA), 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 24 Mbit/s plus and a fast upload speed. The Definition of UK
Superfast Next Generation Broadband[2] OFCOM have defined NGA as in "Ofcom's
March 2010 'Review of the wholesale local access market" "Super-fast broadband is
generally taken to mean broadband products that provide a maximum download speed
that is greater than 24 Mbit/s. This threshold is commonly considered to be the
maximum speed that can be supported on current generation (copper-based)
networks."
A similar network called a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) 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 (LTE) are
an alternative for providing Internet access.

Contents

 1Definitions
 2Benefits
 3Fiber to the premises
 4Fiber to the curb/cabinet/node
 5Deployments
o 5.1FTTP, FTTS (subscriber)
o 5.2FTTS (screen, seat)
o 5.3FTTS (street)
o 5.4FTTH
o 5.5FTTB
o 5.6FTTN and FTTC
 6Optical distribution networks
o 6.1Direct fiber
o 6.2Shared fiber
o 6.3Active optical network
o 6.4Passive optical network
o 6.5Ethernet point-to-point
o 6.6Electrical network
 7See also
 8References
 9External links

Definitions[edit]
The telecommunications industry differentiates between several distinct FTTX
configurations. The terms in most widespread use today are:

 FTTP (fiber-to-the-premises): 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
o FTTH (fiber-to-the-home): 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.[3]
[4]
 Typically providing between 1 and 10 Gbit/s
o FTTB (fiber-to-the-building, -business, or -basement): 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
o FTTD can mean two different things:
 (fiber-to-the-desktop or -desk): 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-to-the-door): Fiber reaches outside the flat
o FTTR can mean two different things:
 (fiber-to-the-radio): Fiber runs to the transceivers of base stations
 (fiber-to-the-router): Fiber connection is installed from the router to
the ISP's fiber network
o FTTO (fiber-to-the-office): Fiber connection is installed from the main
computer room/core switch to a special mini-switch (called FTTO 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 located decentrally all over the building, but managed from one central point
o FTTF can mean five different things:
 (fiber-to-the-factory): fiber runs to factory buildings
 (fiber-to-the-farm): fiber runs to agricultural farms
 (fiber-to-the-feeder): a synonym of FTTN
 (fiber-to-the-floor): fiber reaches a junction box at a floor of a
building
 (fiber-to-the-frontage): This is very similar to FTTB. In a fiber to the
front yard scenario, each fiber node serves a single subscriber. This allows
for multi-gigabit speeds using XG-fast technology. The fiber node may be
reverse-powered by the subscriber modem[5]
o FTTM can mean four different things:
 (fiber-to-the-machine): In a factory, fiber runs to machines
 (fiber-to-the-mast): Fiber runs to wireless masts
 (fiber-to-the-mobile): Fiber runs to base stations
 (fiber-to-the-multi-dwelling-unit): FTTP to apartment buildings
 o FTTT can mean two different things:
 (fiber-to-the-terminal): In an office, fiber runs to desktop equipment
 (fiber-to-the-tower): Fiber reaches base stations
o FTTW (fiber-to-the-wall or -workgroup): In an office, fiber runs to small
switches near a group of users
 FTTA can mean two different things:
o (fiber-to-the-amplifier): Fiber runs to street cabinets
o (fiber-to-the-antenna): Fiber runs up antenna towers
 FTTCS (fiber-to-the-cell-site): fiber reaches the base station site
 FTTE / FTTZ (fiber-to-the-telecom-enclosure or fiber-to-the-zone): 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. [6]
 FTTdp (Fiber To The Distribution Point): 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 last junction possible junction box known as the
"distribution point" this allows for near-gigabit speeds [7]
 FTTL (fiber-to-the-loop): general term
 FTTN / FTTLA (fiber-to-the-node, -neighborhood, or -last-amplifier): 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
(fiber-to-the-home) and is typically used to deliver 'advanced' triple-
play telecommunications services
 FTTC / FTTK (fiber-to-the-curb/kerb, -closet, or -cabinet): This is very similar to
FTTN, but the street cabinet or pole is closer to the user's premises, typically within
1,000 feet (300 m), 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 (fiber-to-the-pole), leading to
confusion with the distinct fiber-to-the-premises system. Typically providing up to
100 Mbit/s
 FTTS can mean three different things:
o (fiber-to-the-screen or -seat): On an airplane, fiber reaches
the IFE screens
o (fiber-to-the-street): The customer is connected using copper to the fiber
passing near the building, up to 200 metres (660 ft) away. This is a compromise
between FTTB and FTTC. Typically providing up to 500 Mbit/s
o (fiber-to-the-subscriber): 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, [8] with an update in 2009,[9] 2011[10] and
another in 2015.[11] The FTTH Councils do not have formal definitions for FTTC and
FTTN.
Benefits[edit]
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 (1Gbit/s) runs over relatively economical category 5e, category
6 or augmented category 6 unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling but only to 100 m
(330 ft). However, 1 Gbit/s 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 1 Gbit/s 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 1 Gbit/s.
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. [12]
FTTC (where fiber transitions to copper in a street cabinet) 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 (VDSL) at downstream rates of 80 Mbit/s,
but this falls extremely quickly when the distance exceeds 100 meters.

Fiber to the premises[edit]

Fiber to the premises (FTTP) 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-optic cable being pulled underneath NYC's streets

Fiber to the premises can be categorized according to where the optical fiber ends:
 FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) 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. [10] 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.

An optical fiber jack (cover removed) in a residence with FTTH service

 FTTB (fiber-to-the-building or -basement) 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.[10]
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 (either only to the ground floor or to each floor), it is FTTB.

Fiber to the curb/cabinet/node[edit]

The inside of a fiber cabinet. The left side contains the fiber, and the right side contains the copper.

Fiber to the curb/cabinet (FTTC) is a telecommunications system based on fiber-optic

cables run to a platform that serves several customers. Each of these customers has a
connection to this platform via coaxial cable or twisted pair. The "curb" is an abstraction
and can just as easily mean a pole-mounted device or communications closet or shed.
Typically any system terminating fiber within 1,000 ft (300 m) of the customer premises
equipment would be described as FTTC.
Fiber to the node or neighborhood (FTTN), sometimes identified with and sometimes
distinguished from fiber to the cabinet (FTTC), [13] is a telecommunication architecture
based on fiber-optic cables run to a cabinet serving a neighborhood. Customers
typically connect to this cabinet using traditional coaxial cable or twisted pair wiring. The
area served by the cabinet is usually less than one mile in radius and can contain
several hundred customers. (If the cabinet serves an area of less than 1,000 ft (300 m)
in radius, the architecture is typically called FTTC/FTTK.) [14]
FTTN allows delivery of broadband services such as high-speed internet. High-
speed communications protocols such as broadband cable access (typically DOCSIS)
or some form of digital subscriber line (DSL) are used between the cabinet and the
customers. Data rates vary according to the exact protocol used and according to how
close the customer is to the cabinet.
Unlike FTTP, FTTN often uses existing coaxial or twisted-pair infrastructure to
provide last mile service and is thus less costly to deploy. In the long term, however, its
bandwidth potential is limited relative to implementations that bring the fiber still closer
to the subscriber.
A variant of this technique for cable television providers is used in a hybrid fiber-
coaxial (HFC) system. It is sometimes given the acronym FTTLA (fiber-to-the-last-
amplifier) when it replaces analog amplifiers up to the last one before the customer (or
neighborhood of customers).
FTTC allows delivery of broadband services such as high-speed internet. Usually,
existing wire is used with communications protocols such as broadband cable access
(typically DOCSIS) or some form of DSL connecting the curb/cabinet and the
customers. In these protocols, the data rates vary according to the exact protocol used
and according to how close the customer is to the cabinet.
Where it is feasible to run new cable, both fiber and copper ethernet are capable of
connecting the "curb" with a full 100Mbit/s or 1Gbit/s connection. Even using relatively
cheap outdoor category 5 copper over thousands of feet, all ethernet protocols
including power over Ethernet (PoE) are supported[citation needed]. Most fixed wireless
technologies rely on PoE, including Motorola Canopy, which has low-power radios
capable of running on a 12VDC power supply fed over several hundred feet of cable.
Power line networking deployments also rely on FTTC. Using the IEEE P1901 protocol
(or its predecessor HomePlug AV) existing electric service cables move up to 1Gbit/s
from the curb/pole/cabinet into every AC electrical outlet in the home—coverage
equivalent to a robust Wi-Fi implementation, with the added advantage of a single cable
for power and data.
By avoiding new cable and its cost and liabilities, FTTC costs less to deploy. However, it
also has historically had lower bandwidth potential than FTTP. In practice, the relative
advantage of fiber depends on the bandwidth available for backhaul, usage-based
billing restrictions that prevent full use of last-mile capabilities, and customer premises
equipment and maintenance restrictions, and the cost of running fiber that can vary
widely with geography and building type.
In the United States and Canada, the largest deployment of FTTC was carried out
by BellSouth Telecommunications. With the acquisition of BellSouth by AT&T,
deployment of FTTC will end. Future deployments will be based on either FTTN or
FTTP. Existing FTTC plant may be removed and replaced with FTTP. [15] Verizon,
meanwhile, announced in March 2010 they were winding down Verizon
FiOS expansion, concentrating on completing their network in areas that already had
FiOS franchises but were not deploying to new areas, suggesting that FTTH was
uneconomic beyond these areas.
Verizon also announced (at CES 2010) its entry into the smart home and power
utility data management arenas, indicating it was considering using P1901-based FTTC
or some other existing-wire approach to reach into homes, and access additional
revenues from the secure AES-128 bandwidth required for advanced metering
infrastructure. However, the largest 1Gbit/s deployment in the United States,
in Chattanooga, Tennessee, despite being conducted by power utility EPB,[16] was FTTH
rather than FTTC, reaching every subscriber in a 600-square-mile area. Monthly pricing
of $350 reflected this generally high cost of deployment. However, Chattanooga EPB
has reduced the monthly pricing to $70/month. [17]
Historically, both telephone and cable companies avoided hybrid networks using several
different modes of transport from their point of presence into customer premises. The
increased competitive cost pressure, availability of three different existing wire
solutions, smart grid deployment requirements (as in Chattanooga), and better hybrid
networking tools (with major vendors like Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm Atheros,
and Wi-Fi solutions for edge networks, IEEE 1905 and IEEE 802.21 protocol efforts
and SNMP improvements) all make FTTC deployments more likely in areas
uneconomic to serve with FTTP/FTTH. In effect FTTC serves as a halfway measure
between fixed wireless and FTTH, with special advantages for smart
appliances and electric vehicles that rely on PLC use already.

Deployments[edit]
Operators around the world have been rolling out high-speed Internet access networks
since the mid-2000s. Some used a network topology known as Active Ethernet Point-to-
Point to deliver services from its central office directly into subscribers' homes. Fiber
termination was handled by a residential gateway provided by Advanced Digital
Broadcast inside a subscriber's home to be shared with other consumer
electronics (CE) devices.
Since 2007, Italian access providers Fastweb,[18] Telecom Italia, Vodafone,
and Wind participated in an initiative called Fiber for Italy, with the aim of creating a
countrywide fiber-to-the-home network in Italy. The pilot taking place in the Italian
capital, Rome, has seen symmetrical bandwidth of 100 Mbit/s. [19] Telecom Italia, which
refused to take part in the Fiber for Italy initiative, has an even more ambitious plan to
bring fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the-business to 138 cities by 2018. [20]
By the end of December 2010, the total number of fiber-to-the-home enabled homes
had passed 2.5 million, with more than 348,000 subscribers. [20][clarification needed])
In September 2010, the European Commission published a new "Recommendation for
Regulated Access to NGA Networks" along with a list of measures to promote
deployment of fast broadband and next generation access networks.[21]
Portugal Telecom plans to complete its fiber-to-the-home nationwide roll out by 2020.
Currently 200 mbs down, 100mbs up costs 22 euros per month. [22]
Between September 2017 and March 2019, the number of European FTTH and FTTB
subscribers increased by nearly 16%. By 2025, the total number of premises passed by
FTTH and FTTB infrastructure is expected to reach 187 million throughout Europe. [23]
Google Fiber provides speed of up to 1 Gbit/s.[24]
Active Line Access is an evolving standard for the provision of services over FTTP
networks in the United Kingdom proposed by the regulator Ofcom and developed by the
Network Interoperability Consultative Committee. [25]
FTTP, FTTS (subscriber)[edit]
Main article: Fiber to the premises by country
Copper telephone networks built in the 20th century are being replaced by FTTP in
most countries.
FTTS (screen, seat)[edit]
Airlines have been deploying such systems on planes in order to reduce weight
FTTS (street)[edit]
Swisscom has been deploying FTTS with G.fast aiming to provide a nationwide basic
broadband coverage between 300 and 500 Mbit/s.
FTTH[edit]
Operators typically provide 1 Gbit/s using the best kind of FTTP. 10Gbit/s started being
offered in 2015.
FTTB[edit]
A number of operators have been using this approach, even at gigabit speed.
FTTN and FTTC[edit]
FTTC during installation in Germany

FTTN/C is seen as an interim step towards full FTTH and in many cases triple-play

services delivered using this approach to provide up to around 100 Mbit/s have been
proven to grow subscriber numbers and ARPU considerably [26][27][28] FTTN/C is currently
used by a number of operators, including AT&T in the United States,
Germany's Deutsche Telekom, Greece's OTE, Swisscom, TIM in Italy, Proximus in
Belgium, nbn™ in Australia, and Canadian operators Telus, Cogeco and Bell Canada.

Optical distribution networks[edit]

Direct fiber[edit]
The simplest optical distribution network architecture is direct fiber: each fiber leaving
the central office goes to exactly one customer. Such networks can provide excellent
bandwidth but are more costly due to the fiber and central office machinery. [29]
South Africa and specifically in the city of Cape Town have one of the largest Direct
fiber networks in the world. Cape Town has been on the forefront of telecommunication
and connectivity for many years, with a large amount of fiber in the ground and many
competitive offerings. Their argument for direct fiber is that multiple operators can patch
into the network easily, and troubleshooting made simple. [30]
Direct fiber is generally favored by new entrants and competitive operators. A benefit is
that no layer 2 networking technologies are excluded, whether passive optical
network (PON), active optical network (AON), or other. Any form of regulatory remedy is
possible using this topology.[31]
Shared fiber[edit]
More commonly, each fiber leaving the central office is actually shared by many
customers. It is not until such a fiber gets relatively close to the customers that it is split
into individual customer-specific fibers. AONs and PONs both achieve this split.
Active optical network[edit]

Comparison showing how a typical AON (a star network capable of multicasting) handles downstream traffic
differently from a typical PON (a star network having multiple splitters housed in the same cabinet)

AONs rely on electrically powered network equipment to distribute the signal, such as
a switch or router. Normally, signals need an optical-electrical-optical transformation in
the AON. Each signal leaving the central office is directed only to the customer for
whom it is intended.
Incoming signals from the customers avoid colliding at the intersection because the
powered equipment there provides buffering. Active Ethernet (a type of ethernet in the
first mile) is a common AON, which uses optical ethernet switches to distribute the
signal, incorporating the customers' premises and the central office into a large
switched ethernet network.
Such networks are identical to ethernet computer networks used in businesses and
academic institutions, except that their purpose is to connect homes and buildings to a
central office rather than to connect computers and printers within a location. Each
switching cabinet can handle up to 1,000 customers, although 400–500 is more typical.
This neighborhood equipment performs layer 2 switching or layer 3 switching and
routing, offloading full layer 3 routing to the carrier's central office. The IEEE
802.3ah standard enables service providers to deliver up to 1000 Mbit/s, full-duplex,
over one single-mode optical fiber FTTP, depending on the provider.
Passive optical network[edit]
Main article: Passive optical network
A passive optical network (PON) is a point-to-multipoint FTTP network architecture in
which unpowered optical splitters are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve up to
128 customers. A PON reduces the fiber and central office equipment required
compared with point-to-point architecture.
The downstream signal coming from the central office is broadcast to each customer
premises sharing a fiber. Encryption is used to prevent eavesdropping. Upstream
signals are combined using a multiple-access protocol, usually time division multiple
access (TDMA).
Ethernet point-to-point[edit]
Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) is a common way of
delivering triple- and quad-play (voice, video, data, and mobile) services over both fiber
and hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks. Active PPPoE uses dedicated fiber from an
operator's central office all the way to the subscribers' homes, while hybrid networks
(often FTTN) use it to transport data via fiber to an intermediate point to ensure
sufficiently high throughput speeds over last-mile copper connections.
This approach has become increasingly popular in recent years with telecoms service
providers in both North America (AT&T, Telus, for example) and
Europe's Fastweb, Telecom Italia, Telekom Austria and Deutsche Telekom, for
example. Google has also looked into this approach, amongst others, as a way to
deliver multiple services over open-access networks in the United States. [32]
Electrical network[edit]
Once on private property, the signal is typically converted into an electrical format.
The optical network terminal (ONT, an ITU-T term) or unit (ONU, an
identical IEEE term) converts the optical signal into an electrical signal using thin
film filter technology. These units require electrical power for their operation, so some
providers connect them to backup batteries in case of power outages to ensure
emergency access to telecommunications. The optical line terminations "range" the
optical network terminals or units in order to provide TDMA time slot assignments for
upstream communication.
For FTTH and for some forms of FTTB, it is common for the building's existing ethernet,
phone, and cable TV systems to connect directly to the optical network terminal or unit.
If all three systems cannot directly reach the unit, it is possible to combine signals and
transport them over a common medium such as Ethernet. Once closer to the end user,
equipment such as a router or network interface controller can separate the signals and
convert them into the appropriate protocol.
For FTTC and FTTN, the combined internet, video and telephone signal travels to the
building over existing telephone or cable wiring until it reaches the end-user's living
space, where a VDSL or DOCSIS modem converts data and video signals into ethernet
protocol, which is sent over the end-user's category 5 cable.

See also