What is Fiber in the Loop Technology?

History and Working

Traditionally, copper telephone wires were used to connect subscribers to telecommunication networks. However, the data carrying capacity of copper is limited especially with increasing usage of bandwidth intensive applications like video streaming, online gaming, virtual meetings etc. FITL technology overcomes this limitation by replacing aging copper infrastructure with state-of-the-art optical fiber cables which have vastly greater bandwidth to support multi-gigabit internet speeds both now and in the future.

Optical fibers carry digital signals in the form of pulses of light through a glass or plastic pipe. This allows for transmission of data at speeds as high as 100Gbps or more depending on transmission technology used. At the exchange office, a fiber termination point equipped with optical line terminals (OLTs) splits the incoming fiber into separate threads going to various subscribers. At the customer premises, an optical network terminal (ONT) interface converts the optical signals back to electrical for last mile connectivity.

Some of the key technological advantages of FITL include:

- Symmetrical Ultra High Speeds: Both download and upload speeds of over 1Gbps are possible with symmetric service. This is crucial for applications like 4K/8K video conferencing.

- Massive Bandwidth: A single strand of fiber has capacity to support internet speeds well beyond 10Gbps simultaneously for thousands of users on the same network.

- Future Proof: Fiber infrastructure has decades long lifespan and bandwidth can be easily scaled up by upgrading transmission equipment as technologies progress.

- Reliability: Signals traveling through glass fibers are not degraded by environmental factors like interference from other cables, noise or outages due to rodent damage affecting underground cables.

Globally, many nations have laid down extensive nationwide Fiber In The Loop networks to provide universal high speed broadband access. Japan and South Korea have had nationwide fiber coverage for over a decade while other Asian countries like Singapore and Hong Kong also have extensive rural fiber deployment. In Europe as well countries like Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Netherlands have widespread FITL availability.

FITL Deployment in North America

North America was relatively late in large scale FITL adoption, but momentum has picked up significantly in recent years driven by both telcos and cable companies. Google Fiber launched its gigabit internet service in 2010 in Kansas City marking the start of major FITL rollout in the continent.

According to reports, the United States had approximately 53 million homes passed by fiber networks by the end of 2021. Major broadband providers like Verizon Fios, AT&T Fiber and Google Fiber have built extensive urban and suburban fiber footprints across many states. Smaller independent ISPs have also sprung up offering niche gigabit services using FITL. However, fiber availability in rural areas still lags with the FCC estimating only 18% of rural America having access to broadband speeds.

In Canada, incumbent telcos Bell and Telus were early movers and now have extensive fiber networks covering many regions. Independent players like Beanfield in Toronto have built innovative underground metropolitan fiber rings. Overall around 30% of Canadian homes now have access to fiber internet according to government reports. Both governments and telcos have announced multi-billion dollar plans to close the digital divide and achieve nationwide high speed coverage including remote communities over the next decade through FITL.

Get more insights on Fiber In The Loop