FTTB expansion, how is the changeover going?

Good day

In a post by @Anonymous from 2017, the possibility was mentioned that FTTB could possibly be expanded so that individual apartments could be accessed with glass.

I also found out from third parties that tests are being carried out at Swisscom, but not whether these are technical tests alone or those with the intention of using this technology productively at a later date.

Does anyone have further information on this, such as the status of the work/technology, possible roll-out intentions etc?

Thank you

smallpot

quote

LINK (Post 3 from 😎

Hi

If it is FTTB and the cable length in the house is not too long, then it can also be 120 MBit/s. We are currently in the transition phase of expansion. Depending on how long this expansion has been planned, you will get an FTTB element that can do VDSL or if you are lucky, then you will get one that can do g.fast/VDSL. Then the speeds are of course significantly higher. And to take immediate precautions: No, unfortunately we cannot ensure/adjust that a g.fast.Element is built there.

A fiber extension into the living room is also not possible because the technologies are completely different. With FTTH there is a point-to-point connection (a fiber optic) that goes from your living room to the headquarters. With FTTS/B, only a few fiber lines are pulled to the mCAN (the element) and from there this capacity is distributed to the copper lines. And yes, the glass capacity is more than sufficient. In order to bring glass into the living room later, we have to use a different glass technology (point to multipoint). Then you would take out the mCAN and replace it with a splitter and from there bring fiber into the living room. This procedure is currently being used in some other countries. It’s cheaper than point-to-point, but it’s still a lot of work because you have to pull the glass cable into the house.

Guido

Hello Walter

Thank you for the link.

I’m actually particularly interested in the technology at FTTB, ie. the (possible) switch to the mentioned (active?) splitter mCan.

Theoretically, this would allow interested apartment owners to get glass into the living room, possibly with a share of the cost. I’m interested in the general state of the technology, i.e. whether it is currently being evaluated or possibly pursued by Swisscom. And if so, what speed could currently be aimed for, ie symmetrical or not and whether FTTB means that the speed that is in the basement is 1Gps or a multiple of that (as I saw on a Telco website in Australia) . Customers could therefore be connected with point to multipoint, but asymmetrically under 1Gps or symmetrically 1Gps, since FTTB in the basement is connected with 5Gps (more for large developments).

If Swisscom prefers to remain silent here - for strategic or other reasons - I would be grateful for explanatory links elsewhere. As I said, my primary interest lies in delving deeper into the technical possibilities. Secondarily, of course, whether and which technology could be used in Switzerland to offer superusers symmetrical Internet and what costs they would have to expect in order to achieve this. This would then make a comparison possible with the announcements that are now floating around - e.g. from Sunrise/UPC - from 5G Internet, where e.g. neither costs nor information about the possible bandwidths and neither symmetrical/non-symmetrical.

What is important to me is whether symmetrical Internet in the 1Gps area can become a reality outside of cities such as Basel that are already covered by PtoP and, if so, by whom and with what technology and with what cost implications.

The who or who is important with regard to the peering (ie the symmetrical connection is in the sales offer, but due to point to multipoint technology and the non-existent peering it is pure fantasy) and as I said, a point to multipoint technology can actually implement symmetrical Internet (ie along with a possible FTTB or FTTS expansion also includes 5G Internet or Docsis 3.1, which UPC will provide nationwide by the end of 2019, according to a message on their support pages is to be rolled out and Quicknet has been announcing for years that it is prepared for a Docsis 3.1 roll-out).

Or in other words: According to Swisscom, ultra-wide band should become a reality throughout Switzerland by the end of 2021, but for most this does not mean symmetrical 1Gps, what are the alternatives or what comes next? Is 5G Internet really the solution, or is a technology mix coming that will make symmetrical 1Gps a reality and approximately when?

Questions upon questions, and yes, it shouldn’t be a look into the crystal ball, but rather a well-founded compilation/discussion of the options without divulging company secrets/current strategic decisions.

I look forward to further discussions.

See you soon

smallpot

Dear Guido

Many many thanks. Now the penny has dropped for me, the XGS-PONS is the technological step.

I have now managed to find the documents that provide me with detailed information on the topic, for example from Huawei: [XG-PON and XGS-PONS](https://support.huawei.com/enterprise/en/ doc/EDOC1000078309/426cffd9/about-this-document).

Good luck!

smallpot

Good day

As a fiber-less journeyman, I’m waiting for Swisscom to expand it, be it FTTS or - in my case more likely - FTTB.

The technology that in this case makes it possible to one day also have symmetrical Internet close to 1Gps: XG-PON (symmetrical up to almost 10G).

Hence my interest. Or maybe 5G. I’ve already read up on it, as well as DOCSIS 3.1.

So it will also be interesting at the strategic level, e.g. Example: Sunrise switching to all-IP on their newly acquired cable network in order to be able to fully utilize the capacity of this pipe? Cost? etc etc etc

Enjoy the Salt line!

smallpot