fiber to the curb (FTTC)
FTTC technology, like all other FTTx technologies, is a fiber optic connection technology in which the fiber is routed in the connection area between the local exchange with the point of presence( PoP) and the street distributor or network distributor on the sidewalk (curb). There, the signal is converted via the optical network unit( ONU), which is located in the switching distributor, and further transmission to the subscriber line takes place via existing copper twisted pairs.
Fiber to the Curb (FTTC) also known as Fiber to the Cabinet( FTTCab), is mainly installed in empty conduits in urban areas and used for the VDSL process. For this purpose, optical fibers are laid on the main cable routes parallel to the copper twisted pairs and active DSL units, the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers ( DSLAM), are installed in the cable junctions(KVz). The Optical Distribution Network( ODN) is completed by a Multi Dwelling Unit( MDU), in which the optical signals are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the subscribers in a star configuration via the copper pairs.
The data rates of the optical distribution network are 2.5 Gbit/s downstream and 1.25 Gbit/s upstream with GPON. Distances of over 550 m can be bridged with the copper twisted pairs. There are 32 to 64 broadband access points available. Transmission speeds range from 2 Mbit/s to 12 Mbit/s upstream and from 25 Mbit/s to 52 Mbit/s downstream. An alternative to FTTC is FTTdp (Distribution Point), in which the line connections to the homes are shorter.