3 Differences Between FTTH and FTTB

Close on the heels of an earlier article that canvassed the benefits and performance of fibre connectivity, understanding key differences in the FTTH (Fibre to the Home) and FTTB (Fibre to the Business/Building) makes a lot of sense at this point.

Due to the huge (excuse the pun) boom experienced on the consumer side of all matters fibre, we will help you join the dots, so you know how to evaluate benefits to you, whether you work in an office building or from home. The latter being the new reality in the worldwide work landscape, said to be ongoing through 2021 and even beyond.

First, let’s confirm why fibre is good for business.

Why FTTB or FTTH is Essential

In a sentence, fibre is changing lives. 

Gone are the days of waiting for Telkom to arrange an ASDL line for you. Today, there are dozens of players ready to supply you with whatever service suits you best. The reason fibre stands out regarding connectivity, is that it is more bandwidth intensive. That translates into a better online experience for you, whether you’re on a conference call or watching podcasts and YouTube videos.

“The fact is ADSL has a cap limit. It’s the same with mobile. It’s this limitation that’s stopping people from utilising the internet at full capacity. Fibre doesn’t have that limitation. And once you give people access to it, their thirst for knowledge becomes insatiable. They just want more of it.” – Johan Nel, ICT channel specialist, Quadular.

Any question as to why you’d find FTTB and FTTH vital?  We thought not.

3 FTTB Superpowers

Many businesses are tempted to use FTTH instead of FTTB, based purely on the fact that it is cheaper. Here are three good reasons why that is a proverbial ‘penny wise but pound foolish’ approach:

1. Performance Levels – whether your business is large or small, your availability to your clients or customers could make or break a key deal. Having your link to cyberspace open at all times will always trump services known for dropping you mid-meeting or mid-negotiation. FFTB does require performance that exceeds what is available to FTTH residential users.
2. Contention Ratio – FTTB enables the golden 1:1 standard for quality of service. The lower the number of contenders sharing the same data capacity, the better the quality. Only FTTB issues a Static IP address, where unique and bespoke services can be built in.
3. Coverage – in metro areas where office parks and business operations are concentrated, fibre is readily rolled out and you’re likely to have no issue getting the coverage you need for better connectivity. This gives SMEs a fighting chance amid industry giants. It levels the playing fields too in that smaller enterprises can compete with industry giants as far as multimedia capability and the like are concerned.

3 FTTH Realities

So yes, the industry giants get the lion’s share as usual. But that need not deter FTTH users, here’s why:

1. FTTH Footprint – Given that certain residential areas have a greater footprint than others, you might struggle to get your home on board. But many communities put out the word and raise sufficient interested parties to warrant fibre installation for their needs. With more and more people working from home now than ever before, the FTTH footprint is growing daily.
2. IP Address – FTTH will supply you with what is called a Dynamic IP address, which might sound amazing, but, it does not have VPN or Port forwarding services built-in and certainly not any customisable options. But it is also likely that you do not require those in your work-from-home scenario, so it’s not a dead cert negative.
3. Service Response – Again, you understand that FTTB connections will receive rapid response par excellence, being regarded as top dogs in the business industry. But there are many companies offering fibre so all you have to do is look for one that offers good response times for their FTTH clients. Establishing relationships with your service provider as to the nature of your business from home needs will mean receiving attention when you need it.

Final Word on FTTB & FTTH

In conclusion, whether you are in the market for FTTB or FTTH, technology is fast-forwarding us into 5G territory already. Office premises to work from will always exist and in some industries it is imperative. 

But since lockdown conditions forced millions to work from home, things will never fully revert to what it was before. Fibre suppliers know that and are already expanding services to suit FTTH users.

For your business to be ready to move with market trends as they are reached, whether your situation requires FTTB or FTTH, fibre is the common denominator and clearly, the way to go as soon as possible.

The Huge Connect team is standing by to assess and assist you to get your business where it needs to be regarding connectivity, so you are not left behind while your fellows in the industry are perfectly poised to catch the trade winds no matter where they blow.