Growing FTTH adoption reaches more cities

Google recently announced that consumers in Provo, Utah, can start signing up for its FTTH service, while other cities across the nation begin exploring their own options in order to keep up with those who Google has added to its fiber to Ethernet plan.

According to FierceTelecom, Provo is the latest in the series of cities that has received fiber to copper support from Google. The new service will cost consumers $70 a month for basic Internet service, while expanded plans that include television cost $120. Of course, the free 5/1 Mbps broadband service is also available to customers within the service area. Google purchased the struggling iProvo fiber-optic network to expedite its fiber rollout in the city.

As Google continues to expand its FTTH options, other providers are starting to work on their own strategies. The incredible popularity that the Google rollout has seen in Kansas City has inspired other cities to consider making the same move - before Google strikes a deal to add them to its own network.

In Austin, Texas, where Google has announced its next FTTH opportunity will take place, AT&T has also begun to expand its own FTTH service. The service is planned to reach 1 Gbps speeds - the same as Google's offerings - by the end of 2014, but currently only provides 300 Mbps.

"Austinites consume data at rates 15 percent to 20 percent higher than the average U-verse user, and the overwhelming adoption of our new U-verse High Speed Internet 300 broadband service confirms that this community also values time and speed," noted Dahna Hull, vice president and general manager in Austin for AT&T Services.

While it is unknown if consumers in the Austin area will show a preference for Google's coming service or AT&T already deployed option, the trend toward fiber-optic Internet service is astounding.

Across the nation, cities and other service providers need to consider their own deployments and invest in the necessary fiber to Ethernet media converter solutions necessary to expedite them. Upgrading service to FTTH will only increase in demand, and meeting those expectations will be critical for companies looking to maintain their competitive edge in the future.

Perle has an extensive range of Managed and Unmanaged Fiber Media Converters to extended copper-based Ethernet equipment over a fiber optic link, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber up to 160km.