What Is Fiber To The Home (FTTH) Technology?

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Fiber To The Home (FTTH)

Different broadband technologies deliver broadband services such as xDSL, FTTH, Cable TV broadband, WiFi, 3G, 4G, and others. We have seen that the current trend of network builders is moving towards deploying FTTH (Fiber to the Home) networks. Fiber to the Home uses fiber optic cable to carry broadband internet connections from a central location straight to households. The optical fibers in an FTTH network are used over the ‘last mile,’ displacing traditional coaxial wires.

Future Market Insights forecasts that the global FTTH market will grow from $9.5 billion (2017) to $37 billion (2027), i.e., a 14.4% CAGR.

What Is FTTH?

Homeowners using the FTTH services are on the receiving end of fast internet and increased bandwidth. What does that mean? If you have an FTTH connection, you can stream the highest-quality content with more simultaneous users or devices connected to the same internet. Not only this but you can also TV services on the same connection.

Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? FTTH network, with its virtually unlimited capacity, is being considered ‘future proof’ for all the good reasons. Its expansion will be a significant supporter of next-generation technologies.

Why Is FTTH Better Than Other Broadband Connections?

Here is a comparison table between FTTH networks vs other broadband connections for your quick reference:

Factors FTTH Network Other Networks
Bandwidth 10+ Gbs 1 Gb
Durability 30 - 50 years 5 years
Interference N/A Subject to voltage surges, EMI / RFI interference
Distance 40 km at 10,000 Mbps 100 m at 1,000 Mbps
Security No signal radiation, difficult to tap Subject to tapping

Moreover, some other benefits of FTTH over other broadband connections include:

  • More effective in long-distance delivery of data;
  • Fast internet speeds and unlimited bandwidth capacity at a similar cost;
  • Can carry ten (10) times more data than traditional copper wires
  • Can transmit information 400 times further than conventional copper cables;
  • Resistant to electrical noise, interference, and voltage surges
  • Can last for thirty (30) to fifty (50) years.

How Many FTTH Network Connections Are There In India?

Did you know that India has around 2.93 million FTTH connections compared to 350 million in China and that less than 15% of total wireline broadband connections work on FTTH technology?

It is interesting to note that the deployment of FTTH connections has significantly risen in the last decade. In fact, it is predicted that tens of millions more households will soon subscribe to FTTH services. The Telecom Authority of India (TRAI)’s October’20 report released the below numbers concerning FTTH connections in the country over the last few years –

Year End No. of FTTH Broadband Connections
Dec’14 103632
Dec’15 196777
Dec’16 340458
Dec’17 476661
Dec’18 1191117
Dec’19 2311540
Dec’20 2932527

The same report also highlights that in European countries (by the end of 2019), 97% of the households had fixed broadband networks in 35% of homes had FTTH connections.

India is a little far toward becoming an FTTH crazy nation. The TRAI is working towards addressing the factors attributable to the slow growth of FTTH subscribers in India.

Why Is FTTH Not Growing Fast In India?

Some of the potential reasons for the slow growth of FTTH could be:

  • Availability is limited to a few cities,
  • Higher monthly subscription rates than mobile broadband,
  • Capital intensive nature,
  • Time-consuming in terms of the roll-out,
  • Passive FTTH infrastructure construction.

HFCL and it’s subsidiary HTL Limited invested Rs. 300 crore in the FTTH cable plant for the manufacturing of optical fiber and soon became the largest manufacturer of FTTH cables in India with a capacity of around 6,00,000 p.a.

Which Is The Best FTTH Providers In India?

All of India's top providers offer FTTH networks, including Airtel, Jio, ACT, and BSNL. Let us look at some Indian telecom players providing FTTH services in India:

Airtel FTTH Plans

Below is a list of Airtel Fiber FTTH broadband Plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

Plan Monthly Charges(Rs) Max speed Data Available Local/STD calls
Basic 499 Up to 40 Mbps Unlimited Unlimited
Standard 799 Up to 100 Mbps Unlimited Unlimited
Entertainment 999 Up to 200 Mbps Unlimited Unlimited
Professional 1499 Up to 300 Mbps Unlimited Unlimited
Infinity 3999 Up to 1 Gbps Unlimited Unlimited

You can learn more about Airtel FTTH connection and other plans here.

BSNL FTTH Plans

Below is a list of BSNL Bharat Fiber FTTH broadband Plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

BSNL Bharat Fiber Broadband Plan Price (in Rs.) Speed Data FUP Additional Benefits
Fiber Basic 449 Up to 30Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fibro 499 Up to 50Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit) 100 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Basic Plus 599 Up to 60Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber TB 777 Up to 100Mbps (5Mbps post FUP limit) 1000 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Super Star-1 779 Up to 100Mbps (5Mbps post FUP limit) 1000 GB Disney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Value 799 Up to 100Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Value Plus 849 Up to 100Mbps (10Mbps post FUP limit) 1500 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Super Star-2 949 Up to 150Mbps (10Mbps post FUP limit) 2000 GB Disney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Premium 999 Up to 200Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Disney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Premium Plus 1277 Up to 200Mbps (15Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Ultra 1499 Up to 300Mbps (4Mbps post FUP limit) 3300 GB Disney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Silver 1999 Up to 300Mbps (25Mbps post FUP limit) 4500 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Silver Plus 2499 Up to 300Mbps (30Mbps post FUP limit) 5000 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Ruby 4499 Up to 300Mbps (40Mbps post FUP limit) 6500 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Golden 5999 Up to 300Mbps (50Mbps post FUP limit) 8000 GB Unlimited voice calls
Fiber Diamond 9999 Up to 300Mbps (60Mbps post FUP limit) 12000 GB Up to 300Mbps (50Mbps post FUP limit)

You can learn more about BSNL FTTH connection and other plans here.

Jio FTTH

Below is a list of Jio FTTH broadband plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

Monthly Price (in Rs.) Quarterly Price (in Rs.) Semi-annual Price (in Rs.) Annual Price (in Rs.) Additional Benefits
399 1197 2394 4788 30Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling
699 2097 4194 8388 100Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling
999 2997 5994 11988 150Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 14 OTT subscriptions
1499 4497 8994 17988 300Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions
2499 7497 14994 29998 500Mbps, unlimited data, 15 OTT subscriptions
3999 11997 23994 47988 1 Gbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions
8499 25497 50994 101988 1 Gbps, up to 6,600GB data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions

You can learn more about Jio Fiber FTTH connection and other plans here.

ACT Fibernet FTTH

Below is a list of ACT FTTH broadband plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

Plan for ACT Bangalore Monthly Data Internet Speed Monthly Price
ACT Basic 500 GB 40 Mbps ₹549
ACT Swift 750 GB 75 Mbps ₹710
ACT Rapid Plus 1000 GB 100 Mbps ₹985
ACT Blaze 1500 GB 150 Mbps ₹1085
ACT Storm *Unlimited 300 Mbps ₹1185
ACT Lightning *Unlimited 350 Mbps ₹1425
ACT Incredible *Unlimited 400 Mbps ₹1999
ACT Essential *Unlimited 400 Mbps ₹ 2999
ACT Advance *Unlimited 400 Mbps ₹3999

You can learn more about ACT's FTTH connection and other plans here.

Asia is becoming the biggest hub for FTTH deployment, with more than 225 million users subscribing to FTTH at the end of 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best FTTH provider in India?

BSNL is one of India's largest internet service providers. Jio GigaFiber is Jio's Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband service available over fixed lines.

Is FTTH more efficient than FTTM?

Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP), also known as Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH), offers an end-to-end fiber optic connection from the exchange to the building and may give better speeds than FTTC since there is no copper leg at all.

What makes FTTP faster?

Whilst both Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) promise high speeds, and they are both faster than the conventional ADSL connection, because of the pure fibre optic delivery, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) has got the edge for guaranteed performance.

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