What is FTTx?

FTTx stands for “Fiber To The x”, which is a general term for optical fiber access in optical fiber communication, and x represents the destination of the optical fiber line. For example, x = H (Fiber to the Home), x = O (Fiber to the Office) to the office, x = B (Fiber to the Building). FTTx technology ranges from the central office equipment of regional telecommunication equipment rooms to user terminal equipment, including optical line terminal (OLT), optical network unit (ONU), and optical network terminal (ONT).

According to the location of the optical network unit ONU at the user end, there are various types of FTTx, which can be divided into fiber-to-the-box (FTTCab), fiber-to-the-curbside (FTTC), fiber-to-the-building (FTTB), fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), fiber-to-the-office (FTTO) and other service forms. U.S. carrier Verizon refers to FTTB and FTTH together as Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP).

FTTCab (Fiber To The Cabinet) is a fiber-to-the-box switchbox
Optical fiber replaces traditional cables, the ONU is placed at the transfer box, and copper wires or other media are used below the ONU to access the user.

FTTC (Fiber To The Curb) fiber-to-the-curb
Installation and use of fiber optic cables from the central office to the curb within a thousand feet of the home or office. Generally, a potential broadband transmission link close to the user is laid first, and once there is a broadband service need, the optical fiber can be quickly led to the user to realize fiber to the home.

FTTB (Fiber To The Building) is fiber-to-the-building
It is a broadband access mode based on optimized optical fiber network technology, which adopts optical fiber to the building and network cable to the home to achieve broadband access for users. Generally, private line access is used, which is easy to install.

FTTH (Fiber To The Home) fiber-to-the-home
FTTH refers to the installation of an optical network unit (ONU) at a home or enterprise user, and is the type of optical access network application closest to the user except for FTTD (fiber-to-the-desktop) in the optical access series. PON technology has become a hot topic for broadband operators around the world, and is considered to be one of the best technical solutions to achieve FTTH.

FTTP (Fiber To The Premise) Fiber to the Premise
FTTP is a North American term that includes FTTB, FTTC, and FTTH in the narrow sense, extending fiber optic cables all the way to homes or businesses.