It refers to the installation and use of **optical fiber** from a central point (such as an internet service provider's hub) directly to individual buildings, such as single-family homes or apartment blocks. This infrastructure replaces traditional copper wires (like telephone lines or coaxial cable) for the "last mile" of connectivity.
### How It Works
In an FTTH network, hair-thin strands of glass (fiber optics) transmit data using pulses of light rather than electricity. Because the fiber reaches all the way to your living space, it eliminates the "bottleneck" that occurs when faster fiber networks have to switch to slower copper wiring to enter a neighborhood or building.
**Key Characteristics:**
* **High Bandwidth:** It currently offers the fastest delivery speeds for residential internet.
* **Symmetry:** Unlike cable or DSL, which often have fast download speeds but slow upload speeds, FTTH frequently offers "symmetrical" connections (e.g., 1 Gbps download *and* 1 Gbps upload).
* **Future-Proofing:** The fiber cables themselves can handle significantly more data than current electronics require, meaning capacity can be increased in the future by upgrading equipment without digging up the ground to replace the cables.
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### References & Authoritative Sources
Here are three highly regarded sources that define and set standards for FTTH:
**1. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)**
The FCC defines FTTH in the context of broadband access, noting it as the delivery of high-speed connectivity "directly to the consumer."
* *Reference:* [FCC Guide on Broadband Service for the Home](https://www.fcc.gov/research-reports/guides/broadband-service-home-consumers-guide)
**2. The Fiber Broadband Association (formerly the FTTH Council)**
This is the primary trade association in the Americas dedicated to all-fiber network infrastructure. They provide industry-standard definitions for what qualifies as "all-fiber" versus hybrid networks.
* *Reference:* [Fiber Broadband Association Resources](https://fiberbroadband.org/)
**3. The Fiber Optic Association (FOA)**
The FOA acts as an international professional society for fiber optics. Their reference guide provides the technical distinction that FTTH means fiber reaches the "boundary of the living space."
* *Reference:* [The FOA Reference Guide to Fiber Optics](https://www.thefoa.org/)