What is FTTH?
We all agree that without communication it will be impossible for us to conduct business or stay in touch with family and friends. Today we are connected through devices and constantly in touch with others via phones, email and various social media platforms.
Telecommunication has become an integral part of our daily lives. The World Wide Web has become a trusted friend and we spend many hours searching for information and looking for answers to any questions we may have. We have massive amounts of information are at our fingertips – and it keeps growing every day.
This is because fibre optics uses light, instead of electricity, to send information. The light in a fibre optic cable travels through it by a principle called ‘total internal reflection’. Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the core, the light wave can travel great distances at the speed of light. This technology is now being used all over the world to enable better broadband speeds and to transmit large amounts of data at high speeds, from country to country. Fibre optic cables even connect continents – cables laid on the seabed using specialised cable laying ships.
While submarine communication cables are used to connect countries and continents to the Internet, terrestrial fibre optic cables are used to extend this connectivity to towns and countries across South Africa.
The construction of both submarine cables and their terrestrial extensions is thus considered an important step to the economic growth and development of many African countries.
- Transformation was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic which rapidly increased South Africa’s reliance on technology for work, education, and social connection
- Originally established in 2010 as the FTTx Council Africa, the Digital Council Africa is an independent, not for profit organisation
- Provides a bridge and connector between the government, the technology industry, and stakeholders across Africa to develop the digital sector and economy
Every once in a while a phenomenal technological breakthrough comes along that changes the world. In the context of telecommunications, that technology is optical fibre.
In the past, our communication networks were built on traditional copper cabling. As data traffic on networks continue to grow we have to seek alternative technologies to accommodate this constant demand for higher bandwidth – optical fibre. Optical fibre is a hair-thin, highly transparent strand of glass.
Today, many telecommunications companies are using optical fibre to replace the standard copper wire traditionally used to transmit telecommunications. Whilst copper lines have limited capacity and creates a bottleneck for technologies that need greater bandwidth, fibre is a highly desirable telecommunications medium since it can carry high speed broad-band services.
Transformation was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic which rapidly increased South Africa’s reliance on technology for work, education, and social connection
Involvement With The Digital Council Technologies
The Digital Council embraces the extraordinary possibilities for future fibre optic application and aims to remove the boundaries of technological inclusion. Our aim is to help all ICT’s work together to deliver on the expectations of a gigabit society.
Through innovative technologies such as 5G, IoT, smart cities, smart business, smart homes and big data, we hope to educate and guide all involved in the framework and infrastructure for the next generation of Internet applications.
Why Should You Move to Fibre?
Today the telecommunications industry is made up of many telecommunications operators and service providers to choose from, and many companies can offer you a next generation broadband network. These broadband networks offer ultrahigh- speed – 1Gbps and above – to homes, offices and premises around your community. That’s at least 100 times faster than what some of our current home internet connections are capable of!
With such a network in place you will be able to enjoy a richer broadband experience with more choices, and everyone appreciates speed in getting things done. Think about standing in long queues at the bank or post office – this is the same for your online experience. You may have encountered long waiting times when downloading or sending files, jerky videos when watching online or even poor responsiveness when playing online games. Because files are also getting larger, the need for more information or higher video resolutions increases rapidly over time. Low speed internet gives you a poor online experience and limits what you can do. With optical fibre that is a thing of the past.
High speed broadband allows people to stay connected to the global economy no matter where they live. An international study showed that as much as 45% of households would consider relocating to obtain broadband service (and 11% would “definitely” relocate) simply because of the benefits of broadband. The future possibilities of fibre are endless and for people working from home FTTH is a must-have.
- Transformation was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic which rapidly increased South Africa’s reliance on technology for work, education, and social connection
- Originally established in 2010 as the FTTx Council Africa, the Digital Council Africa is an independent, not for profit organisation
- Provides a bridge and connector between the government, the technology industry, and stakeholders across Africa to develop the digital sector and economy
Many people want to work from home, but to remain competitive and productive; you need fast and reliable internet access. There is a difference between ‘work from home’ and ‘remote workers’. Work from home is typically people who have their own business and run it from home. Remote workers usually work for a company but because they have a good internet connection, they are allowed to work from home. This is a growing trend with companies, even if it is just for a couple of days a week. In addition, broadband fosters a more attractive environment for new businesses to open or relocate to in the community – as networked workers enjoy a better lifestyle and are usually better educated.
As more and more “social added-value” services are offered online (business services, social, health, and education services, and government services) it becomes increasingly important to ensure that your community considers the benefits of FTTH, and because household broadband contributes to the overall health and vitality of the community, it makes connected communities highly sought after which results in increased property prices.
How fast is fibre?
The faster your broadband, the more you can do online, quicker. Pretty obvious stuff really? So how fast is fast? 120Mb broadband makes light work of even the heftiest downloads: A whole music album (60MB) in 6 seconds
A TV show (350MB) in 30 seconds
A high quality movie (1GB) in 1½ minutes
An HD movie (4GB) in 6 minutes
What can you do with fibre?
Download games and apps faster
Upload photos to Facebook faster
Skype friends and family around the world in high quality
Access your cloud apps faster
Download music and movies faster
Turn your building into a smart building and remotely manage your life!
How does fibre work?
An optical fibre is a highly transparent strand of glass as thin as a human hair. The light in a fiber-optic cable travels through the core by a principle called total internal reflection.
Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the core, the light wave can travel great distances at the speed of light.
Benefits of Fibre
Less expensive
With no high-voltage electrical transmitters needed, fibre can help save your provider and you money.
More green
Fibre is also more durable than copper and will last longer. The raw materials to make them are plentiful (silicon from sand!) whereas copper supplies are dwindling.
More capacity
More fibres can be bundled together in the same space as a copper cable.
Better quality
Fibre won’t lose the signal the way copper does. And because light signals don’t interfere with other fibres in the same cable, you get clearer conversations.
More reliant
Fibre optic cables are safe from lightning strikes or electrical interference.
Weighs less
An optical cable weighs less than a comparable copper cable and takes up less space.
High demand
Due to much lower attenuation and interference, optical fibre has large advantages over existing copper wire in long-distance and high-demand applications.
Increased performance
Fibre gives you more bandwidth, so everyone can do their thing online at the same time