Why FTTB is not FTTH

“The internet is no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a ‘need to have’. In a sense, it has become a utility such as electricity and water. We need access to internet banking, social media, entertainment sites, cloud based storage, and much, much more.

More than 10 million homes worldwide already have fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections because the technology holds many advantages over current technologies. The fiber network delivers true high speed broadband services that will be able to deliver up to 1Gbps (gigabit per second). This is around 10 to 200 times faster than DSL broadband services, for both FTTH and FTTB, but there are differences.

Small businesses may feel like they are in a position which affords them the opportunity to choose between a business / building broadband package (FTTB) and one which is intended for residential (FTTH) use. But in reality it is almost always a better idea to pick the enterprise-oriented option because of the key differences between these two types of service.

So what distinguishes business fibre optic broadband from its residential equivalent?

For prospective business customers of fiber-optic Internet, demystifying vendor pricing can be a puzzle. Ultimately, the price difference is attributable to risk management and guarantees. The two primary differences between residential (FTTH) and business / building (FTTB) Internet comes down to:

* Flexibility in Configurations

* Direct Access to Data Center and Cloud Services

Also, business users require uptime guarantees, availability, and bandwidth caps that exceed residential user requirements, significantly different to that of residential users. Some organizations require sophisticated configurations to facilitate a high-performance business network. Other variances include:

* IP Address Allocation

* Contention Ratio - describes the maximum number of users that can share a fibre optic broadband service at the same time. As FTTH cannot for more than 2-5 users.

* Security

Many business consumers are ending up disappointed as they pay for a FTTH, also known as FTTP package, only to find that the package doesn’t come with all the peripherals to make the service work. Ask yourself these key questions before you sign up for FTTH solution:

1. How far does the fibre go?

2. Does the fibre provider install all the devices, or is it DIY?

3. How much data am I getting? How can I manage my data use?

4. What support do I get?

5. What security do I have?

So while you might be able to spend less money with a different deal, this might end up costing you more in lost revenue over the course of a contract. You need to take time to choose a broadband bundle, although for businesses it is important to steer your gaze towards fibre optic services that are explicitly targeted at organizations in your position.

So contact your Jec Technologies Solutions Architect today.

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