SPRING 2014
3
What’s All
the Fuss
Over
Fiber?
Only fiber networks can meet
the ever-increasing demands
for bandwidth
T
ere’s a lot of talk these days about fiber networks and
for good reason. Optical fibers are flexible, hair-thin
strands of glass that use light instead of electricity to
carry a signal. They are unique in their ability to transport
virtually unlimited bandwidth over long distances. Fiber to
the Home (FTTH) is the delivery of a communications signal
over optical fiber from the operator’s switching equipment all
the way to a home or business, thereby replacing existing copper
infrastructure such as telephone wires and coaxial cable.
“Future Proof”Technology
FTTH is the only technology that delivers enough band-
width—reliably and at a low enough cost—to meet the
ever-increasing demand for more robust internet, video,
and voice service as well as other online applications.
Compared to copper wire or coaxial cable, fiber also has
a much longer lifespan and the capability of being 1,000
times faster than DSL and cable modems.
Current fiber-optic technology can provide two-way trans-
mission speeds of up to 1 Gbps. What’s more, ongoing
improvements in fiber-optic equipment are constantly
increasing available bandwidth without having to change
the fiber. That’s why fiber networks are said to be “future proof.”
More Applications Need More Bandwidth
Why do we need all this bandwidth? Here are a few reasons:
• More companies are offering feature-length movies for
download and one high-definition movie takes up as
much bandwidth as 35,000 webpages.
• Televisions and home appliances are now being
connected to the internet.
• Families and companies are increasingly using
“software as service”—meaning they subscribe to
cloud applications rather than install them on their
own computers.
• There are currently 200 telemedicine networks in
the U.S. connecting 2,000 institutions.
• Services such as distance learning and remote energy
management are expected to grow considerably over
the next several years.
These applications, plus the many other ones not even
invented yet, are going to require much greater bandwidth
than what is generally available today. Bandwidth demand
is growing at an enormously high rate, and is projected to
grow for years to come. According to the Cisco® Visual
Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2011-2016), there are
expected to be 3.4 billion internet users by 2016—about
45 percent of the world’s projected population according
to United Nations estimates. In addition, the average fixed
broadband speed is expected to increase nearly fourfold,
from 9 Mbps in 2011 to 34 Mbps in 2016.
With fiber networks, users gain access to bandwidth of
increased quality, quantity, and capacity. Fiber also brings
access to RTC’s advanced TV services. Clearly, fiber is well
worth making a fuss over. That’s why RTC began our fiber
build-out in 2009 and is pleased to announce that over half
of our customers are served by fiber technology. To find out
if your business is in a fiber-served area, call 888.862.3115.
