Eve Dalberg. © Gabriel Georgi
With the development of connected solutions in buildings and especially the increasing bandwidth requirements in offices, topics related to network and connectivity structures are taking on their full dimensions. FTTO (Fiber to the Office) and FTTH (Fiber to the Home) are the new generation of wired networks. Uniformatic, a manufacturer of products for the IT and network environment, has been designing all of its products in France since 1985. Yves Dalbergue, President of Uniformatic, deciphers the operation of FTTH and FTTO networks, and explains their purpose and the opportunities offered by the access of these wired networks.
Can you explain to us what these networks are?
Eve Dalberg- Like mobile networks, FTTO and FTTH networks are wired 5G networks. The first generation of copper made it possible to connect to the phone, and the second generation was created with the advent of the Internet and ADSL. The third generation enables video transmission over VDSL. 4G has brought us into the Ultra High Speed (THD) era with the advent of GPON (Gigabit Optical Passive Network) fiber optic networks that allow 4K video transmission. Finally, 5G will use 10GPON (10Gb) and will allow the emergence of virtual reality, telemedicine, smart manufacturing, and a safe city.
What is the purpose of developing FTTO/FTTH networks?
YD- It is important to distinguish between these two types of networks. FTTH or Fiber to Home is intended for use by individuals in apartment buildings. Today, with the development of remote work and streaming and connected applications, bandwidth requirements are constantly increasing. The FTTO or FTTO belongs to the corporate office and third buildings. FTTO is a general term that is divided into three distinct network infrastructures: FTTB, FTTO, and FTTD. FTTB, or Optical Fiber to the Building, allows optical fibers to be transmitted to the bottom of the building, and the rest of the distribution is carried out using the already existing copper network. FTTO Networks provides optical fiber for offices. Microovic switches, installed directly into the cables, ensure the copper connections at the last meters to connect computers. These networks are suitable for large companies and home offices that require very high speeds, or for buildings in the medical sector such as hospitals that use high speeds, particularly for transmitting medical images. Finally, FTTD or Fiber to the Office brings fiber directly to computers. Thus, equipped buildings no longer have a copper network and computers must be equipped with fiber optic cards. These networks are more intended for defense, military or armament buildings, because it is impossible to remotely intercept the exchange of information circulating on optical fibers.
What are the characteristics and peculiarities of these networks?
YD- The main difference in irrigation of private buildings and businesses comes from flow restrictions. PON (Passive Optical Network, Passive Optical Network in French) brings fibers from an optical communication node (NRO) to the nearest subscribers. The fiber, thanks to the splitter, allows it to feed 64 subscribers in the last 50-100 meters of the cycle. The goal is to reduce the size of the cables by bundling the cables as long as possible. PMZs (Zone Sharing Points) are street optical cabinets that allow splitting of signals to the subscriber. In FTTH networks, which are intended for individuals, the operators cannot guarantee the speed, because the 64 subscribers are subscribed and therefore use the same fiber up to PMZ. Moreover, the speeds of the uplink and downlink streams differ, because individuals require more of the downlink signal, which allows them to receive the content. Finally, in the event of a failure, the outage of the Internet can last for several days, which is completely unimaginable in business. In FTTO networks, the fibers are allocated and not shared, which makes it possible to guarantee a stable speed, but also symmetric uplink and downlink speeds, and finally, a guaranteed recovery time (GTR) of less than 4-8 hours in the event of a failure or outage.
What are these networks made of?
YD- The entire chain of FTTH networks first consists of an optical communication node (NRO), which contains 64 connections. The 64 connectors are split twice in 32 connections in the headers. The 32 PMZ subscribers burst and all fibers travel to the endpoint, allowing the fibers to enter the homes. For FTTB, dedicated fibers arrive at the bottom of the building in a box and leave via copper cables in the LAN. FTTO consists of spreading the fibers within the building itself. Segmentation is done using switches located within the offices themselves, with dispatchers and sub-distributors. The structure of the structural cabling depends on the needs of the building. These FTTO fixtures provide very high throughput. Additionally, the architecture enables responding to future speeds and anticipating the bandwidth requirements of future applications.
Advantages of FTTO for smart buildings?
YD- Smart buildings are often large buildings occupied by multiple tenants, varying by floor, each with their own network, but common services within the building. If the fibers reach the bottom of the buildings, the speeds meet the requirements of the connection and can irrigate all the functions of the building. But each tenant will have to have their own FTTO subscription.
can you introduce us View your FTTO/FTTH?
YD- First, we present boxes that are PMZ and subscriber combined, in particular endpoints (PA), building contact points (PRI), optical endpoints (PBO) and optical termination (PTO). We also provide our customers with optical welding devices with accessories to perform welds. For FTTH networks, we also offer ultra-long optical jumpers, ranging from 2 to 50 metres, depending on the operator. Finally, we offer Tool-Free Optical Connectors and Construction Site Connectors. For FFTO, we provide jumpers, jumpers, and Ethernet switches.
Interviewed by Alexander Aren
