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- Fiber
is now gaining acceptance in the final frontier of telephone networks,
the "last mile," the connection to the home. Many homes are connected
with aging, low performance copper telephone wire that cannot even
support DSL connection speeds to allow the phone companies to compete
with the cable modems used by CATV companies for broadband access.
 The costs of
maintaining these old copper cable plants is extremely high and
increasing.
Phone companies are now realizing the best choice for upgrading the
subscriber connection is fiber to the premises or home (FTTP, FTTH, or
FTTx). The possibility of delivering new services (the triple-play of
phone, Internet and TV) and low priced components for with new network
architectures make FTTx financially attractive for the first time.
Phone companies like Verizon, AT&T and Bell Canada are
committing billions of dollars to plans for connecting millions of
homes and offices with fiber in the near future. (Here's links for more information on
FTTx and a FTTx Online
Tutorial.)
CATV companies are considering fiber to replace aging coax, since the
price is right and performance unlimited. Municipalities or private
individuals are looking at installing their own FTTx systems when phone
or CATV companies won't do it soon enough. Housing developers are
learning about FTTx because their customers are demanding the highest
bandwidth broadband connections.
All these plans depend on finding or training adquate numbers of
technicians. The FOA, working with operating companies, municipalities,
installers and our approved schools has developed requirements for FTTx
training and certification, with the goal of providing enough qualified
FTTx installation technicians to make these plans possible.
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- FOA
CFxT (Certified FTTx Technician) certification programs are now being
introduced in many of the 150+ FOA-approved schools. Students will
complete the FOA CFOT program first to obtain their CFOT, then attend a
short course on FTTx that will prepare them for the CFxT exam.
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