Why I killed my copper -- Highlights about the FTTO in the ESR

TL;DR

This paper discusses the implementation, benefits, challenges, and future prospects of Fiber To The Office (FTTO) technology in research and higher education buildings, based on practical experiences and feedback.

Contribution

It provides an overview of FTTO deployment in France, sharing insights, lessons learned, and best practices from real-world projects over six years.

Findings

FTTO reduces copper cabling and enhances future-proofing.

The technology is well-received with positive feedback from users.

FTTO supports high-speed, secure, and eco-friendly network infrastructure.

Abstract

FTTO means Fiber To The Office, in reference to FTTH (Fibre To The Home), deployed in France for individuals. The principle of FTTO is to cable a building totally in fibre optic, to remove as much copper cabling as possible and install microswitches in each office (duct or adjacent), as near the machines as possible. Users are still connected with standard RJ45 copper wiring. Through questions and answers, we will highlight the reasons why FFTO is a controlled and future-oriented technology.Over the last six years, several building projects within the perimeter of Higher Education and Research have chosen this technology and have seen or will see the light of day. Depending on the project, different topologies and technologies are possible. What is the feedback after these years? Is the result as expected? How is the solution experienced on a day-to-day basis? What security, how is a large switch assembly configured and maintained, what high availability is possible? How is Wi-Fi, IP telephony and all PoE devices integrated? Does FTTO contribute to eco-consumption? How can a FTTO call for tender be set up for a project, what are the essential elements to be included and what are the errors to be avoided at all costs? In the future, what is the life expectancy for its infrastructure and what speeds can be envisaged? The RESINFO FTTO Group is working to provide clear answers to all these questions and to share its experience with the community.