So far, high-speed internet has been a choice between cable and DSL. DSL doesn’t have the bandwidth to compete with cable for the long haul, especially when combining data with video and voice. Well, Verizon Communications is about to release an option in the Dallas area called Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH). Just a few years ago, fiber optic technology was considered either dead or just for Fortune 500 and the government. With new advances resulting in both lower equipment and implementation costs, fiber optic technology is being tested as an upgrade to DSL. By replacing the copper lines which yield around 2 megabits/second, fiber optic technology, with speed levels in the tens of megabits/second, can offer voice, video and data services on the same line. A similar service in Japan offering 100 mbps has reached 1.4 million subscribers - almost 9% of the Japanese broadband public. While it will certainly be a while before the FTTH becomes pervasive, it’s always exciting to see new technologies go from never to nearer.
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