FTTH, or "Fibre To The Home", is a relatively new term used to describe the replacement of some, or all, of the standard copper wire local loop of a telecommunications provider, for so-called "last mile" telecommunications.

The "last mile" need not be a mile per se, but is used to describe the final leg of connectivity between a provider's switching equipment and a junction box at a home. FTTH is desirable because it provides vastly higher bandwidth than copper wire or coaxial cable, and so allows high-speed broadband services – Internet, telephone and TV – to be delivered directly and robustly, to the home.

FTTH Features, Benefits & Considerations

FTTH should not be confused with FTTC, or "Fibre To The Cabinet", which – although also acknowledging that optical fibre is used for long distance telecommunications and broadband Internet where applicable – implies that copper wire or coaxial cable is used for the short distance between the kerbside and the home.

Both technologies are expensive, particularly in the case of FTTH, where the replacement of existing copper wires in some neighbourhoods may prove troublesome. As such, the uptake of FTTH in the UK has been slow when compared with some other parts of the world.

FTTH is being incorporated into newly built properties and communities, however, as a unique selling point, and its cost is expected to come down as its adoption becomes more widespread. A large number of FTTH service providers in Europe – Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway, Sweden, etc. – are able to provide a 100Mb broadband Internet service, and offer a "bundled" broadband Internet, telephone and TV service, for as little as €30 per month.

The UK obviously has some way to go to emulate its European counterparts, but Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron, did at least pledge an FTTH programme within a decade, should the Conservative Party win the next General Election, early in 2009.

Mr. Cameron was keen to espouse the benefits of FTTH with regard to teleworking, and teleconferencing, reflecting the views of FTTH Council chairman, Joeri Van Bogert. The current Labour government seems happy to accept the 40Mb FTTC service proposed by BT, but has been warned by Elfed Thomas, Chief Executive of the i3 Group – who are currently installing FTTH in the UK – that is should aspire to 100Mb FTTH, if the UK is not to be left behind technologically by its European neighbours and other countries.

It is difficult to understand the assertion of BT Chief Executive, Ian Livingstone, that people were "happy with a Ford", as he compared the difference between 100Mb FTTH and 40Mb FTTC to that between a Ferrari and a Ford, particularly in light of some of the additional benefits of FTTH. At a basic level, fibre optic is less expensive than copper wire in the first place and has low scrap value, making it less attractive to thieves.

Furthermore, the UK is a world leader in the field of computer games, but is unlikely to remain so if the technology to support a user base is not available, and FFTH, like broadband before it, should lead to the creation of new applications and services.