FTTH Business Guide - AWT.be

one home but overall, the effort per home connected is significantly reduced and
hence the associated costs are reduced.
Some costs are only incurred when new subscribers connect to the network, so
these costs are proportional to the take rate of the services.
Potential improvements:
� involving customers in preparative work
� pre-ordering/mass connection initiative for initial rollout
� reusing copper cabling inside MDUs, for example, by terminating the FTTB
network with a VDSL-DSLAM
In some cases, connections will be paid for by landlords or tenant associations.
Landlords are becoming increasingly aware that the provision of triple-play
services in their properties enables them to charge higher rents or sale prices.
There have already been cases where home owners are willing to pay €1000 for a
fibre connection, because it boosts the value of their homes by significantly more.
However, such schemes only work where a reasonable proportion of the homes to
be served will commit to the scheme in advance.
A number of innovative methods have been developed to reduce the cost of the
final connection and these should be investigated to establish the most
appropriate method and therefore the associated cost model.
Subscriber equipment
As well as the cost of terminating the fibre in the home or apartment, there is a
cost associated with activating the connection and installing the necessary active
equipment in the home: whether residential gateway, router or set-top box.
Unlike legacy DSL, the customer equipment is typically not available from retail
suppliers, and so must be supplied by the operator providing the FTTH connection.
When entering a private home, ideally the installation process should be planned
as a single visit. This means the installation team should be prepared to do all inhome
activities including installing the fibre and subscriber equipment.
It is important that the installation teams update all documentation when
installing and splicing fibre. If a fibre outlet is left in the apartment the risk of
exposing a laser beam should be considered.
Potential improvements:
� mass connection initiative during rollout
� let the end-user pay for the equipment by renting or buying it
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