Estate Living November 2016 Digital Issue | Seite 62

frequently
questions
Q

What is fibre to the home (FTTH)?

devices, armed with our credit card and the

A

FTTH is the delivery of a communications

specials page from the newspaper, all set to

signal over optical fibre from the operator’s

purchase a device that we’re convinced will

switching equipment all the way to a home

make our life easier. We’re met at the front of

or

the store by a pimply-faced whippersnapper

infrastructure such as telephone wires and

who rolls his eyes in boredom before we’ve

coaxial cable. FTTH is a relatively new and

asked a single question. He then tries to baffle

fast-growing method of providing vastly

us with science. He couldn’t care less about the

higher bandwidth (read: speed and capacity)

customer, and by the end of the engagement

to consumers, thereby enabling more robust

you are enraged beyond reason.

video, Internet and voice services.

In the world of FTTH (fibre to the home)

Q

technology, from trenching to downloading,

connected directly to homes?

Hasn’t this happened to all of us? We’ve walked
into a store that sells telecommunications

business,

replacing

existing

copper

Why is fibre optic cable now being

we seem to be falling into the same old technospeak trap. Fortunately there is an organisation

A

Connecting homes directly to fibre optic

out there that is trying to protect the benefits

cable enables enormous improvements in the

that FTTH represents and to ensure that all

bandwidth that can be provided to consumers.

sides of the market remain fair, comply with

While the traditional technologies (using

the rules and offer best practice.

ADSL and cable modems) generally provide
transmission speeds of up to five megabits per

The Fibre to the Home Council is a non-profit

second for downloading (and generally less

body consisting of companies, organisations

for uploading), current fibre optic technology

and municipalities engaged in advancing FTTH

can provide two-way transmission speeds of

solutions. Its members include operators,

up to 100 megabits per second. Furthermore,

manufacturers and installers. It also welcomes

while it is a struggle to squeeze small

government institutions and representatives

increments of bandwidth out of the older

of the property industry. Among the council’s

technologies, ongoing improvements in fibre

activities are providing ways for members

optic equipment are constantly increasing the

to share their knowledge and build industry

available bandwidth without requiring any

consensus on FTTH.

change in the fibre infrastructure. That’s why
fibre networks are said to be “future proof”.

Here are some frequently asked questions that
will help shed light (pun intended) on the fibre

Q

But it was only a few years ago that I

issue.

upgraded from dial-up to DSL. Are you telling me
I’m going to have to upgrade again?