Deploying a successful fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) network requires careful planning and execution. It is clear after many years of trials that FTTP is here to stay. Taking FTTP networks from the lab/field trial mode to full-scale network deployment presents many significant challenges for service providers. One of these challenges is deploying the network for the lowest possible cost, while creating a fiber network infrastructure that has the flexibility and reliability to last long into the future | Splicing vs. Connectorization in FTTP Networking Splicing vs. Connectorization in FTTP Networking Deploying a successful fiber-to-the-premise FTTP network requires careful planning and execution. It is clear after many years of trials that FTTP is here to stay. Taking FTTP networks from the lab field trial mode to full-scale network deployment presents many significant challenges for service providers. One of these challenges is deploying the network for the lowest possible cost while creating a fiber network infrastructure that has the flexibility and reliability to last long into the future. When network visionaries first began looking at deploying FTTP or FTTH as it has also been called networks more than 10 years ago they were focused on a fiber network that was all spliced. That is every junction in the fiber network from the central office to the subscriber was made via an optical splice. At the time the primary justifications for this mindset were cost and concerns regarding the reliability of optical connectors in OSP environments. While splicing the entire OSP fiber network is going to provide the lowest initial equipment cost the reality is that those cost savings will quickly be lost to increased operational expenses and reduced network flexibility. The use of fiber connectors inside the central office for connecting fiber network elements has long been standard practice. Service providers around the world have realized the value that connector interface points provide in the network when it comes to troubleshooting the network re-configuring the network and turning up services. Similar benefits can be realized in the OSP portion of an FTTP network when connectors are properly placed in the OSP network. Let s take a look at a general FTTP fiber network architecture outside the central office see Figure 1 . The network consists of feeder cables routing to a fiber distribution hub FDH where the optical splitters are housed. From the FDH a distribution .
