What Is Fiber To The Home (FTTH) Technology?

What Is Fiber To The Home (FTTH) Technology?

What Is Fiber To The Home (FTTH) Technology?

Fiber To The Home (FTTH)

Different broadband technologies deliver broadband services such as xDSL, FTTH, Cable TV broadband, WiFi, 3G, 4G, and others. We have seen that the current trend of network builders is moving towards deploying FTTH (Fiber to the Home) networks. Fiber to the Home uses fiber optic cable to carry broadband internet connections from a central location straight to households. The optical fibers in an FTTH network are used over the ‘last mile,’ displacing traditional coaxial wires.


Future Market Insights forecasts that the global FTTH market will grow from $9.5 billion (2017) to $37 billion (2027), i.e., a 14.4% CAGR.

What Is FTTH?

Homeowners using the FTTH services are on the receiving end of fast internet and increased bandwidth. What does that mean? If you have an FTTH connection, you can stream the highest-quality content with more simultaneous users or devices connected to the same internet. Not only this but you can also TV services on the same connection.

Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? FTTH network, with its virtually unlimited capacity, is being considered ‘future proof’ for all the good reasons. Its expansion will be a significant supporter of next-generation technologies.

Why Is FTTH Better Than Other Broadband Connections?

Here is a comparison table between FTTH networks vs other broadband connections for your quick reference:

FactorsFTTH NetworkOther Networks
Bandwidth10+ Gbs1 Gb
Durability30 – 50 years5 years
InterferenceN/ASubject to voltage surges, EMI / RFI interference
Distance40 km at 10,000 Mbps100 m at 1,000 Mbps
SecurityNo signal radiation, difficult to tapSubject to tapping

Moreover, some other benefits of FTTH over other broadband connections include:

  • More effective in long-distance delivery of data;
  • Fast internet speeds and unlimited bandwidth capacity at a similar cost;
  • Can carry ten (10) times more data than traditional copper wires
  • Can transmit information 400 times further than conventional copper cables;
  • Resistant to electrical noise, interference, and voltage surges
  • Can last for thirty (30) to fifty (50) years.

How Many FTTH Network Connections Are There In India?

Did you know that India has around 2.93 million FTTH connections compared to 350 million in China and that less than 15% of total wireline broadband connections work on FTTH technology?

It is interesting to note that the deployment of FTTH connections has significantly risen in the last decade. In fact, it is predicted that tens of millions more households will soon subscribe to FTTH services. The Telecom Authority of India (TRAI)’s October’20 report released the below numbers concerning FTTH connections in the country over the last few years –

Year EndNo. of FTTH Broadband Connections
Dec’14103632
Dec’15196777
Dec’16340458
Dec’17476661
Dec’181191117
Dec’192311540
Dec’202932527

The same report also highlights that in European countries (by the end of 2019), 97% of the households had fixed broadband networks in 35% of homes had FTTH connections.

India is a little far toward becoming an FTTH crazy nation. The TRAI is working towards addressing the factors attributable to the slow growth of FTTH subscribers in India.

Why Is FTTH Not Growing Fast In India?

Some of the potential reasons for the slow growth of FTTH could be:

  • Availability is limited to a few cities,
  • Higher monthly subscription rates than mobile broadband,
  • Capital intensive nature,
  • Time-consuming in terms of the roll-out,
  • Passive FTTH infrastructure construction.

HFCL and it’s subsidiary HTL Limited invested Rs. 300 crore in the FTTH cable plant for the manufacturing of optical fiber and soon became the largest manufacturer of FTTH cables in India with a capacity of around 6,00,000 p.a.

Which Is The Best FTTH Providers In India?

All of India’s top providers offer FTTH networks, including Airtel, Jio, ACT, and BSNL. Let us look at some Indian telecom players providing FTTH services in India:

Airtel FTTH Plans

Below is a list of Airtel Fiber FTTH broadband Plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

PlanMonthly Charges(Rs)Max speedData AvailableLocal/STD calls
Basic499Up to 40 MbpsUnlimitedUnlimited
Standard799Up to 100 MbpsUnlimitedUnlimited
Entertainment999Up to 200 MbpsUnlimitedUnlimited
Professional1499Up to 300 MbpsUnlimitedUnlimited
Infinity3999Up to 1 GbpsUnlimitedUnlimited

You can learn more about Airtel FTTH connection and other plans here.

BSNL FTTH Plans

Below is a list of BSNL Bharat Fiber FTTH broadband Plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

BSNL Bharat Fiber Broadband PlanPrice (in Rs.)SpeedData FUPAdditional Benefits
Fiber Basic449Up to 30Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fibro499Up to 50Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit)100 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Basic Plus599Up to 60Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber TB777Up to 100Mbps (5Mbps post FUP limit)1000 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Super Star-1779Up to 100Mbps (5Mbps post FUP limit)1000 GBDisney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Value799Up to 100Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Value Plus849Up to 100Mbps (10Mbps post FUP limit)1500 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Super Star-2949Up to 150Mbps (10Mbps post FUP limit)2000 GBDisney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Premium999Up to 200Mbps (2Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBDisney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Premium Plus1277Up to 200Mbps (15Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Ultra1499Up to 300Mbps (4Mbps post FUP limit)3300 GBDisney+ Hotstar Premium annual subscription, unlimited voice calls
Fiber Silver1999Up to 300Mbps (25Mbps post FUP limit)4500 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Silver Plus2499Up to 300Mbps (30Mbps post FUP limit)5000 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Ruby4499Up to 300Mbps (40Mbps post FUP limit)6500 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Golden5999Up to 300Mbps (50Mbps post FUP limit)8000 GBUnlimited voice calls
Fiber Diamond9999Up to 300Mbps (60Mbps post FUP limit)12000 GBUp to 300Mbps (50Mbps post FUP limit)

You can learn more about BSNL FTTH connection and other plans here.

Jio FTTH

Below is a list of Jio FTTH broadband plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

Monthly Price (in Rs.)Quarterly Price (in Rs.)Semi-annual Price (in Rs.)Annual Price (in Rs.)Additional Benefits
39911972394478830Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling
699209741948388100Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling
9992997599411988150Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 14 OTT subscriptions
14994497899417988300Mbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions
249974971499429998500Mbps, unlimited data, 15 OTT subscriptions
39991199723994479881 Gbps, unlimited data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions
849925497509941019881 Gbps, up to 6,600GB data, Free Voice and Video Calling, 15 OTT subscriptions

You can learn more about Jio Fiber FTTH connection and other plans here.

ACT Fibernet FTTH

Below is a list of ACT FTTH broadband plans, their prices, speeds, data, and additional benefits:

Plan for ACT BangaloreMonthly DataInternet SpeedMonthly Price
ACT Basic500 GB40 Mbps₹549
ACT Swift750 GB75 Mbps₹710
ACT Rapid Plus1000 GB100 Mbps₹985
ACT Blaze1500 GB150 Mbps₹1085
ACT Storm*Unlimited300 Mbps₹1185
ACT Lightning*Unlimited350 Mbps₹1425
ACT Incredible*Unlimited400 Mbps₹1999
ACT Essential*Unlimited400 Mbps₹ 2999
ACT Advance*Unlimited400 Mbps₹3999

You can learn more about ACT’s FTTH connection and other plans here.

Asia is becoming the biggest hub for FTTH deployment, with more than 225 million users subscribing to FTTH at the end of 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best FTTH provider in India?

BSNL is one of India’s largest internet service providers. Jio GigaFiber is Jio’s Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband service available over fixed lines.

Is FTTH more efficient than FTTM?

Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP), also known as Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH), offers an end-to-end fiber optic connection from the exchange to the building and may give better speeds than FTTC since there is no copper leg at all.

What makes FTTP faster?

Whilst both Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) promise high speeds, and they are both faster than the conventional ADSL connection, because of the pure fibre optic delivery, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) has got the edge for guaranteed performance.

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