The booming telecom market in India is opening up exciting possibilities in the form of emerging technologies, devices, services and applications, for consumers as well as enterprises. Increasingly, users are looking for a quadruple play of high-speed broadband, high-definition video, unlimited 'anywhere' telephony, and real-time surveillance. FTTH (Fiber To The Home) is a broadband telecommunications system based on fiber-optic cables and associated optical electronics that enables delivery of this quadruple play. With FTTH, consumers will enjoy a marked change in their lifestyle with amenities like IPTV, high definition TV, interactive television, video-on-demand, personal video recorder, smart appliances and electronic homes. Further, FTTH will significantly improve the speed and quality of internet-based services like file and photo sharing, music download, movie downloads, multi-player online gaming, virtual networking, interactive distance learning, telemedicine and several other applications, which have become integral to our lives. For enterprises, cost reduction and travel expenses are becoming important considerations, even as business development and customer interfacing become super-critical. FTTH enables advanced applications like remote surveillance, tele-presence and next-gen video-conferencing, which enable businesses to stay connected and grow with increased efficiency at lower costs.
FTTH networks provide the bandwidth required to meet consumer needs for diverse applications and services, while providing the operational tools to reduce costs and provide superior customer service. These advantages make the business case for installing FTTH far superior than that for either DSL or cable modems. Compared to conventional telecommunication, in which copper cables carry electrical signals, optical fiber cables carry data at more than 40Gbps, which is analogous to nearly a million voice calls running simultaneously. A number of technologies have been developed to provide broadband on copper networks in order to provide high data rate services but these are limited by the inability of copper cables to carry high speed data for distances of more than 70-80m, and interference due to electromagnetic fields. Even basic services like file sharing and online music/video sharing require large bandwidth that cannot be provided by most of the current copper cable based broadband networks. With optical fiber based systems, however, providers for telephone services, Internet service and Cable TV operators will terminate their cables at a central location in a residential or commercial complex and from there, there shall be just one optical fiber cable going to each premise.
FTTH is more often being installed in newly built communities as an added selling feature. Installing FTTH raises the value of existing property. Real estate developers and property management companies realize that high-speed broadband access in the home is a value-added differentiator. FTTH has been touted for many years by telcos for its ability to maximize content delivery and customer satisfaction while reducing maintenance and customer service problems. Further the network offers the provider superior reliability, scalability and the ability to deploy, provision, and maintain it at consistent levels. Service providers should carefully consider the high bandwidth requirements, the unpredictable demand, and the competitive nature of the market for determining capital expenditures. The demand for bandwidth is growing and even fairly conservative estimates of potential bandwidth requirements far outstrip the capability of copper-based technologies. At these levels FTTH is the best technology solution, with a high revenue potential. The challenge for service providers is to ensure consumer satisfaction with compelling bundles of content and serviced with consolidated bills, a single point of contact for customer service, and a highly reliable connection. Increasing competition amongst service providers to offer gratifying user experience, greater convenience, coupled with the large and rapidly growing telecom market point to the immense potential of FTTH in India.
FTTH has emerged the key demand driver for the optical fiber industry, especially in developed economies like Western Europe. The subscriber base for FTTH is expected to cross 100 million globally by the end of 2012. High-growth telecom markets like India, China and Russia are rapidly gaining momentum. The telecommunication industry of India, in particular, is seeing rapid expansion and modernization, with the imminent introduction of 3G and Next Generation Networks, which will help the growth of the optical fiber market in the country. India's government policy is focused on network expansion, rural telephony, broadband coverage, R&D and the provision of an enabling environment, leading to a competitive sectoral growth. The result is an impressive forward momentum, resulting in growing investments, capacity expansion, technological innovations and improved telecom service quality. It is important for India to imbibe learnings from other economies on the usage of optical fiber networks and how communication infrastructure can help in accelerating the country's economic growth.
Manish Agarwal - Head Marketing (Fiber Optic Cables), Sterlite Technologies
vadmail@cybermedia.co.in
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