FTTo vs FttH: Business Fiber Comparison
Dedicated Enterprise Infrastructure vs Professional Shared Connectivity
Fiber to the Office (FTTo) and Fiber to the Home Professional (FttH Pro) represent two distinct fiber deployment architectures for business connectivity. FTTo delivers dedicated fiber infrastructure with guaranteed bandwidth and enterprise SLAs, while FttH Pro provides professional-grade service over residential fiber infrastructure with business-class support.
The choice between FTTo and FttH Pro depends on bandwidth requirements, uptime criticality, budget constraints, and technical needs. Mission-critical applications requiring guaranteed bandwidth typically demand FTTo, while professional offices with standard connectivity needs often find FttH Pro sufficient at significantly lower cost.
Both options are available through our comprehensive connectivity services portfolio across France.
Quick Comparison
Understand the difference between FTTO and FTTH fiber deployments for enterprise connectivity.
Key Technical Differences
Understanding infrastructure, performance, and service characteristics
Infrastructure Architecture
FTTo provides dedicated fiber from the operator's point of presence (PoP) directly to your office, with no sharing of bandwidth. FttH Pro uses shared passive optical network (PON) infrastructure where multiple subscribers share bandwidth on the same fiber strand, with statistical multiplexing managing capacity allocation.
Bandwidth Guarantees
FTTo offers committed information rate (CIR) guarantees, ensuring contracted bandwidth availability 24/7. FttH Pro provides best-effort bandwidth with contention ratios typically 1:20 to 1:32, meaning performance can vary based on neighborhood usage patterns during peak hours.
Service Level Agreements
FTTo includes enterprise SLAs with 99.9-99.99% uptime guarantees, 4-hour repair time objectives (RTO), and service credits for outages. FttH Pro offers business-grade support but typically without contractual uptime guarantees or service credits.
Upload vs Download Speeds
FTTo delivers symmetric bandwidth (e.g., 1000/1000 Mbps), critical for applications with high upload requirements like video conferencing, cloud backup, and data replication. FttH Pro often provides asymmetric bandwidth (e.g., 1000/400 Mbps), optimized for typical internet usage patterns.
Latency & Jitter
FTTo maintains consistent low latency (<2ms local, <10ms Europe) with minimal jitter due to dedicated infrastructure. FttH Pro can experience variable latency during congestion, affecting real-time applications like VoIP and video conferencing during peak usage.
IPv4 Address Allocation
FTTo typically includes multiple static IPv4 addresses (/29 or /28 blocks) for hosting services and network segmentation. FttH Pro usually provides a single dynamic or static IPv4 address, requiring NAT for multiple internal hosts.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Detailed technical and operational comparison
| Feature | FTTo (Fiber to the Office) | FttH Pro (Professional) |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Type | Dedicated fiber strand | Shared PON infrastructure |
| Bandwidth | 100 Mbps - 10 Gbps symmetric | 300 Mbps - 8 Gbps (often asymmetric) |
| Bandwidth Guarantee | 100% CIR (committed) | Best-effort (contention 1:20-1:32) |
| SLA | 99.9-99.99% with service credits | Business support without SLA |
| Repair Time | 4-hour RTO (contractual) | 24-48 hour target (best-effort) |
| Latency | Consistent <2ms local | Variable 2-10ms (load-dependent) |
| Jitter | <1ms (guaranteed) | Variable (5-20ms possible) |
| IPv4 Addresses | Multiple static IPs (/29 or /28) | Single static or dynamic IP |
| Network Monitoring | 24/7 NOC with proactive alerts | Reactive support only |
| Deployment Time | 4-12 weeks (fiber build required) | 2-4 weeks (if fiber available) |
| Contract Term | 12-36 months typical | 12 months typical |
When to Choose Each Option
Decision framework based on business requirements
Choose FTTo When You Need:
- Guaranteed bandwidth for mission-critical applications (ERP, CRM, VoIP PBX)
- Symmetric high-speed connectivity for cloud backups or data replication
- Contractual SLA with uptime guarantees and service credits
- Multiple static IPv4 addresses for hosting services
- Consistent low latency for real-time applications (trading, video production)
- 24/7 NOC monitoring with proactive fault detection
- Regulatory compliance requiring dedicated infrastructure (HIPAA, PCI-DSS)
- Network segmentation and advanced routing (BGP, VLANs)
Choose FttH Pro When You Have:
- Standard office connectivity needs (web browsing, email, SaaS applications)
- Budget constraints requiring cost-effective solution
- Small team (5-20 employees) with moderate bandwidth requirements
- Tolerance for occasional performance variation during peak hours
- Primary need for download bandwidth (content consumption)
- No requirement for multiple public IPv4 addresses
- Non-critical business applications without strict uptime requirements
- Backup connectivity requirement (pair with FTTo for redundancy)
Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds
Many businesses deploy FTTo as primary connectivity for critical operations, with FttH Pro as cost-effective backup. This provides enterprise-grade performance with redundancy at reasonable cost. Automatic failover ensures business continuity if primary FTTo link fails, with FttH Pro providing reduced but functional capacity during repairs.
Technical Architecture Deep Dive
Understanding the underlying technology differences
FTTo: Dedicated Active Ethernet
FTTo typically uses active Ethernet architecture where each customer receives a dedicated fiber strand from the operator's aggregation switch. This point-to-point topology guarantees full bandwidth availability and enables advanced features like Layer 2 VLANs, QoS tagging, and BGP routing. The dedicated infrastructure means your traffic never competes with other subscribers.
- Point-to-point fiber topology (P2P)
- Dedicated wavelength per customer
- Active Ethernet switching (Layer 2/3)
- Full bandwidth commitment (CIR = contracted speed)
- Support for IEEE 802.1Q VLANs
- BGP peering capability for multi-homing
- Enterprise-grade optical equipment (SFP/SFP+)
FttH Pro: Shared Passive Optical Network
FttH Pro uses GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) or XGS-PON (10 Gigabit Symmetric PON) technology where a single fiber from the operator's OLT (Optical Line Terminal) is split passively to serve 32-64 customers via ONT (Optical Network Terminal) devices. Statistical multiplexing assumes not all users consume maximum bandwidth simultaneously, allowing oversubscription.
- Point-to-multipoint topology (P2MP)
- Shared wavelength (1:32 or 1:64 split ratio)
- GPON (2.5/1.25 Gbps) or XGS-PON (10/10 Gbps)
- Statistical multiplexing (contention ratios apply)
- Limited VLAN support (typically single VLAN)
- No BGP support (residential-class routing)
- Consumer-grade ONT equipment
Real-World Implementation Examples
How businesses choose between FTTo and FttH Pro
Enterprise HQ: FTTo Primary + FttH Pro Backup
Profile: 200-employee headquarters with on-premise data center, VoIP PBX (150 extensions), video conferencing, cloud backup, and SaaS applications.
Solution: FTTo 1 Gbps symmetric as primary with FttH Pro 1 Gbps as backup. BGP multi-homing with automatic failover.
Rationale: Mission-critical VoIP and data center require guaranteed bandwidth and SLA. FttH Pro backup provides 99.9%+ composite availability at reasonable cost.
Result: Zero downtime in 2 years. FTTo provides consistent performance for VoIP (150 concurrent calls). FttH backup used for non-critical traffic, reducing FTTo bandwidth needs.
SMB Office: FttH Pro Only
Profile: 15-employee professional services firm (accounting, legal). Cloud-first (Microsoft 365, QuickBooks Online, Salesforce). No on-premise servers.
Solution: FttH Pro 500 Mbps with business-class WiFi and unified threat management firewall.
Rationale: All applications are cloud-based SaaS with built-in redundancy. No requirement for guaranteed bandwidth or static IPs. Budget-conscious with tolerance for occasional slowdowns.
Result: 500 Mbps provides sufficient bandwidth for 15 users. Occasional slowdowns during peak hours (5-6 PM) but acceptable for business needs. 98% uptime over 12 months.
Media Production: FTTo 10 Gbps
Profile: Video production studio transferring 4K/8K raw footage to cloud storage and remote editors. Daily uploads of 500GB-2TB.
Solution: FTTo 10 Gbps symmetric with direct connection to cloud provider (AWS Direct Connect). Multiple IPv4 addresses for FTP servers.
Rationale: Symmetric 10 Gbps required to upload 1TB in ~15 minutes vs 10+ hours on FttH Pro. Business model depends on rapid content delivery to clients. Uptime critical for project deadlines.
Result: ROI positive within 6 months due to eliminated delays. 10 Gbps enables real-time remote collaboration with editors worldwide. Missed a single deadline would cost more than annual connectivity.
Retail Chain: Mixed Deployment
Profile: 50-location retail chain. HQ needs mission-critical connectivity. Individual stores require reliable but non-critical connectivity for POS systems.
Solution: HQ: FTTo 2 Gbps with BGP. Stores: FttH Pro 300 Mbps per location. SD-WAN overlay for unified management.
Rationale: HQ handles centralized inventory, payment processing, and analytics—requires enterprise SLA. Store POS terminals cloud-connected with local failover; FttH Pro sufficient.
Result: Significant cost savings compared to deploying FTTo at all locations while maintaining acceptable reliability. Centralized HQ connectivity provides enterprise SLA where needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about FTTo vs FttH Pro selection
Need Help Choosing Between FTTo and FttH?
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