Three Major Challenges of Fiber-to-the-Home

Simply put, the implementation of fiber-to-the-home projects involves two main steps: FTTB and FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Building and Fiber-to-the-Home). The first step is mainly for operators to introduce fiber into residential communities and buildings (inside the buildings), which is FTTB, i.e., Fiber-to-the-Building. At this stage, the capability to provide fiber access to users within the building is established; often, what we refer to as access capability or coverage capability refers to this scenario. The second step is FTTH, i.e., fiber-to-the-home, which involves pulling the fiber into the user's room and onto the desktop, truly enabling users to enjoy the high speeds brought by fiber.

During the nationwide promotion of fiber-to-the-home by operators, three common challenges and confusions have emerged, leading to users being unwelcoming, uncomprehending, and unaccepting of fiber-to-the-home. These are: First, fiber-to-the-home and the transition from copper to fiber require renovation of subscriber lines. In newly built communities, fiber lines are already widely deployed, so there is no "copper retirement." However, in older communities, copper lines were initially laid; to achieve fiber-to-the-home, rewiring within the home is necessary. Due to factors such as room decoration, this basically can only be done using exposed wiring, which compromises the aesthetics of the room. Second, fiber-optic communication requires power support, resulting in electricity consumption. According to estimates, the ONU used for fiber-to-the-home in the Beijing area incurs an annual electricity cost of nearly 60 yuan. Third, fiber-optic communication relies on the form of energy, leading to dependence on electricity; service stops during power outages, causing certain inconveniences for users.

These three challenges and confusions have become the biggest obstacles to operators' current fiber-to-the-home efforts. Based on actual conditions and examples, the following solutions may be considered: First, the most important and effective approach is for the government to issue relevant regulations. For instance, recently, the Xiamen Municipal Informatization Bureau took the lead, in conjunction with the Construction Bureau, Communications Administration, Planning Bureau, Land and Housing Bureau, and Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication Bureau, to jointly issue the "Xiamen Fiber Broadband Network Construction Specifications" and the "Xiamen Fiber Broadband Network Indoor Wiring Design and Construction Guide." The introduction of government-level planning provides, on the one hand, a basis and standards for operators' fiber network construction projects, ensuring construction quality; on the other hand, it reassures the public and increases their acceptance of new technologies and services.

Second, further promotion of high-bandwidth applications is necessary. In addition to community and household applications driven by the government, efforts should be made to vigorously explore diversified home and personal informatization solutions, using applications to drive demand and transforming users from passive acceptance to active demand.

In summary, the advancement of fiber-to-the-home depends, on the one hand, on strong government support, and on the other hand, on operators' grasp of high-bandwidth applications with strong customer demand. Only by addressing both aspects simultaneously can the rapid advancement of fiber-to-the-home be achieved.