FTTCFTTH

FTTCFTTH refers to deployment strategies that combine fiber to the cabinet (FTTC) and fiber to the home (FTTH) within a single network. FTTC delivers fiber up to a street cabinet or remote node, with the final connection to residences using existing copper or coaxial infrastructure and technologies such as VDSL2 or G.fast. FTTH runs a continuous fiber link all the way to the customer premises, typically enabling higher bandwidth and lower latency. The term FTTCFTTH describes hybrids where some areas are served by FTTH and others by FTTC, chosen to balance cost, geography, and demand.

In FTTC deployments, high-capacity fiber feeds the cabinet, while the last mile to homes relies on copper or coax. This arrangement can provide substantial speeds at a lower upfront cost and with faster rollout in less dense areas. FTTH deployments use optical networks such as GPON, XG-PON, or 10G-PON, with optical line terminals at the provider edge and optical network terminals at the customer premises, delivering higher and often symmetrical bandwidth.

Economic and strategic considerations drive the mix. FTTC is cheaper to deploy quickly in rural or lower-density regions, whereas FTTH offers greater futureproofing and peak performance, justifying higher capital expenditure in dense urban areas or high-demand developments. Hybrid approaches allow operators to upgrade gradually, extending FTTH where feasible while maintaining FTTC where appropriate.

Overall, FTTCFTTH reflects a pragmatic, phased path toward broader fiber access, aligning rollout speed, cost control, and customer bandwidth needs with geography and market conditions.