What is the fiber difference?

3:31PM June 02, 2017

Fiber-to-the-home means that a fiber optic cable, which carries internet, TV and telephone services, runs directly into your home. How is this different from what you may have now? It's pretty simple. Most likely, your current provider uses fiber optic cable, but only reaching a pedestal or hub in your neighborhood. Maybe even farther away.

Then, a copper wire carries service to a box on the outside of your home, and then to ports/jacks inside, where you connect your devices. This is where significant internet speed and reliability is lost. Fiber optic cables are made of glass and contain many strands, which makes the capacity almost limitless. Copper cables have been around more than 100 years and aren’t built for today’s needs. They are also susceptible to signal deterioration due to age and environmental conditions.

In a FTTH network, the fiber optic cable runs into your home and directly to a device called an optical network terminal (ONT). The ONT then provides service directly to your devices via wired or wireless connection. There is no changing of wires or cables during this process. So, in essence, you're getting game-changing internet speeds, full HD television and crystal clear phone reception, through a single cable, directly into your home and to your devices.