Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Network Deployment Solution

FTTH (Fiber To The Home) network deployment is mainly divided into two modes: building (MDU) deployment and single-family (SDU) deployment. In different scenarios, different types of optical cables need to be selected to balance performance and cost, and strict control of construction details is required to ensure network stability and life. In building deployment, indoor/outdoor composite optical cables or multi-core indoor optical cables are commonly used, which are compatible with environments such as shafts and wiring rooms, and the cost is about 0.50–1.50 USD/m; in single-family homes, 0.9 mm bare fiber micro-patch cables or 2-core indoor patch cords are mostly used, with a cost of about 0.30–1.00 USD/m, combined with micro-groove excavation or wall routing to achieve beautiful and high-density wiring. Regardless of the deployment, strict construction specifications such as tension limit (≤ 50 N), minimum bending radius (≥ 30 mm) and splitter/optical cross-connect box protection must be followed. Ultimately, this solution has the advantages of high bandwidth (≥ 1 Gbps), low maintenance (passive network) and controllable cost, and can be widely promoted in urban buildings and rural residences.

1. FTTH building (MDU) deployment plan

1. Recommended optical cable types and cost analysis

Indoor/outdoor composite optical cable (6-24 cores): Combining LSZH indoor sheath and PE outdoor sheath, it can directly pass through the shaft to the wiring room, reducing the cost of joints and construction transition. Its market price is about 0.80-1.20 USD/m.

Multi-core indoor optical cable (12-48 cores): used for inter-layer trunk wiring, unit price is about 0.50-0.90 USD/m; compared with single-mode jumper fiber, it saves pigtail accessories and fiber splicing labor hours, and the overall cost is lower.

Cost comparison: Taking 12-core indoor/outdoor composite cable of 1000 m as an example, the purchase cost of optical cable is about 800–1200 USD; if 12 single 2-core jumpers (0.5 USD/m each) are used instead, the purchase cost is 1000 m×12×0.5 = 6000 USD, and additional splicing and wiring management are required during construction, which significantly increases the labor cost. Therefore, for the building trunk and horizontal sections, multi-core composite cables or multi-core indoor cables are recommended.

2. Optical cable construction details and precautions

(1) Path survey and pipeline reservation

Detailed measurement: Conduct cross-sectional survey of on-site vertical shafts, horizontal layers and weak current wells to determine the optical cable laying space and the direction of the pre-buried metal pipes.

Pipe material selection: Use 2″PVC or HDPE profiles between the shaft and the floor distribution box to ensure that it can withstand at least 150 N of external force after pulling the cable.

(2) Cable laying specifications

Tension control: During construction, tension must be applied to both ends of the cable at the same time. The single tension must not exceed 50 N to prevent the fiber core from breaking or increasing micro-bending losses.

Bending radius: Guide grooves or adjustable conduit elbows must be installed at the bends along the shaft and floor corridors to ensure a minimum bending radius of ≥ 30 mm; sharp turns or twisting are strictly prohibited to avoid long-term use causing transmission performance degradation.

(3) Joints and protection

Connection method: The main cable fusion points are concentrated in the wiring room, and cold shrink tubing or heat shrink tubing is used for waterproofing; mechanical quick connectors can be used for inter-layer or indoor branches to facilitate later maintenance.

Wiring management: Use 24-core MPO/MTP in the distribution frame Trunk connection reduces the use of jumper fibers and improves maintenance efficiency.

Labeling and recording: Each optical cable must be labeled and the start and end points, fiber number and test results must be entered into the database to facilitate future troubleshooting.

2. Single-family residential (SDU) deployment plan

1. Recommended optical cable types and cost analysis

0.9 mm bare fiber micro cable: ultra-thin and bendable micro cable, suitable for routing in walls, skirtings and furniture gaps, with a unit price of about 0.30–0.50 USD/m.

2-core indoor jumper (ITU-T G.657A1/A2): enhanced bending resistance, suitable for indoor end-user access, with a unit price of about 0.20–0.40 USD/m.

Cost comparison: If traditional 2-core blown cable is used, construction requires pre-buried pipelines and air blowing, with high labor and equipment costs; while bare fiber micro cable can be directly laid with adhesive or clips, with labor costs about 30% lower and a comprehensive cost of about 0.5 USD/m.

2. Details and precautions for optical cable construction

(1) Micro-groove excavation and pre-embedding of pipelines

Micro-groove technology: With the help of a special electric micro-groove milling cutter, a 3-5 mm wide groove is cut on the wall or skirting, and a 6 mm PVC conduit is pre-embedded to facilitate subsequent cable pulling and replacement. This method causes less damage to the ground and produces less dust during construction.

Pipeline protection: Fireproof plugging materials and sealants are used at the wall penetration to ensure waterproof, fireproof and beautiful appearance.

(2) Optical cable laying

Fixing method: Apply a lightweight adhesive evenly in the micro-groove or use a clip to keep the optical cable fit without generating tension; avoid adhesive failure in high temperature environments.

End surface treatment: Use a desktop adapter box at the indoor panel and provide a dust cover to prevent dust from entering and causing return loss to deteriorate.

(3) Terminal installation and testing

ONT location: preferably a location with strong signal and close to the power socket to avoid difficulty in replacement after home decoration is damaged;

Test acceptance: Use **OLTS (optical time domain reflectometer)** to measure link loss, requiring SDU link loss ≤ 0.4 dB, and archive the test report.

3. Summary and feasibility evaluation

Feasibility: The solution fully considers the spatial characteristics and construction difficulty of buildings and residences, and selects multi-core composite cables and micro cables respectively, which not only reduces procurement and labor costs, but also meets the technical requirements of high density and high bandwidth.

Advantages:

Cost optimization: Trunk cable 0.50–1.20 USD/m, micro cable 0.30–0.50 USD/m, the comprehensive cost is 30% lower than the full jumper solution.

High performance: end-to-end link loss ≤ 0.4 dB, can support ≥ 1 Gbps broadband service.

Fast construction: Indoor/outdoor composite cables reduce intermediate joints, micro cable micro-trough technology is easy to construct, and deployment efficiency is improved.

Easy maintenance: Standardized identification, centralized management of joints and complete test files ensure convenient operation and maintenance in the later stage.

Promotion value: This deployment strategy has been tested and verified in many cities. Operators have reported that it can complete rapid coverage of hundreds of households within 1–3 days, and it is feasible for large-scale replication.

Through the above deployment solutions, operators and system integrators can implement high-quality FTTH network coverage at the optimal cost and in the shortest period in different scenarios, bringing users a stable and high-speed fiber-optic broadband experience.