Arafat Yousef, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at Aginode, believes that Fibre To The Office (FTTO) is a forward-looking substitute for traditional structured cabling that offers regional enterprises the benefits of Gigabit Ethernet, scalable digital workloads, software defined network management, and sustainable improvements in TCO, energy consumption and carbon footprint in an exclusive op-ed for tahawultech.com. 
Digital transformation, cloud and generative AI are driving the usage of high speed networks, data centres, storage, cloud computing and high performance compute. The more interconnections there are between cloud regions, Internet exchange points, continental cable landing points, devices and end users, the better, more diverse, and richer is the digital engagement and digital exchange driving the digital economy.
But there is another side to this. Hyper connecting the digital economy also means more consumption of power energy everywhere and power consumption is associated with production of heat and carbon dioxide. Both of these factors need to be considered in view of climate change, global sustainability goals and reducing the runaway carbon footprints.
The digital economy is growing fast. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimates that the digital economy makes up anywhere from 4.5% to 15.5% of global gross domestic product, GDP. In the US, the digital economy already accounts for more than 7% of GDP. In China, the digital economy accounted for a third of the nation’s GDP in 2018.
According to the European Commission, the ICT industry generates up to 2% of all global CO2 emissions. There is a great deal to be gained by simply reducing the amount of power consumed by the devices, cabling and networks that provide the backbone for the digital economy. Furthermore, making sure systems can remain operational for as long as possible also reduces the burden on the environment.
Switch to FTTO networks
In an FTTO environment, fibre is laid from the central distribution switch right to the office, where it runs horizontally to active FTTO switches at the users’ workplaces. The final distance of 3–5 metres to the end user desk is bridged using standard RJ45 twisted pair patch cords. The FTTO switch provides a connection between optical uplinks and electrical downlinks.
Operational benefits of FTTO
With FTTO, the aim has been to provide an Ethernet based network; long life cycle; scalability, flexibility, sustainability; high reliability and robustness; redundancy; security; low maintenance cost, simple administration; quick and simple realization; improved energy efficiency; and less network hierarchy.
Due to the signal transfer qualities of fibre and its electromagnetic interference resilience, signals can be transferred over distances longer than 100 metre. With traditional structured cabling networks, 100 metre is the transmission limit. FTTO is also characterized by absence of network hierarchy which makes it easier to deploy.
Fibre infrastructures need less cabling than traditional copper twisted pair networks. The volume of fibre optics cabling is considerably reduced due to the smallerdiameter of fibre optic cables.
Fibre is a very safe medium for regional enterprises. There are no problems with frayed or damaged insulation, incorrect or insufficient circuit protection, short circuits and overvoltage.
Future proofing
FTTO infrastructures can accommodate future applications and changing network needs, allowing for regional enterprises to scale up their networks easily. A fast, low latency, responsive FTTO network with Power over Ethernet (PoE) capacity also supports the introduction of smart building management systems, helping reduce energy consumption by optimizing lighting, air conditioning and heating usage for regional enterprises.
FTTO’s compact design is ideal for older regional buildings with limited space for technical rooms or large cable bundles. It frees up valuable space and improves fire safety.
The added flexibility means networks can accommodate changes in regional building layouts and support consecutive generations of equipment. It is not necessary to dispose of large volumes of cabling and equipment every few years.
FTTO reduces cabling by up to 75%, resulting in lower installation costs and improved cable management. FTTO’s centralized structure and possibility of ring topologies ensure maximum network availability, minimizing downtime risks. With FTTO, a single employee can manage thousands of switches using the LANactive Manager software.
FTTO infrastructures can last up to 25 years, offering a cost-effective and sustainable investment for regional enterprises.
Sustainability benefits of FTTO
Energy consumption in traditional network designs can be significantly reduced with FTTO. By using fewer active and passive components, FTTO networks consume less power and generate less heat, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions. As PoE is provided locally, then transmission losses are also reduced.
FTTO switches consume minimal power, around 5-6 Watts per switch, and with the use of intelligent features such as Energy Efficient Ethernet, EEE power consumption can be further optimized for regional enterprises, based on actual user needs.
The use of fibre also allows compliance with 802.3az EEE standard. This allows each port on the switch to power down into a standby mode when no connected devices are active. EEE ports consume power only when data is transferred.
FTTO networks require significantly less equipment, consume less energy and require less cooling. In a traditional copper-based Ethernet network with 1,000 ports, the annual electricity consumption is estimated to be 82k kWh. However, using an FTTO architecture, the same network would consume some 30k kWh per year.
FTTO architecture can reduce energy consumption by as much as 70% lower, cut total cost of ownership by 40%, and reduce installation time by 60%. Reduced energy costs and TCO directly contribute to both financial and environmental sustainability for regional enterprises.
Future alignment
FTTO offers a future-proof solution that not only reduces energy consumption but also supports high bandwidth requirements. By adopting FTTO, for regional enterprises can reduce their carbon footprint, extend the operational lifetime of their network infrastructure, and minimize the need for frequent equipment replacements.
By implementing FTTO solutions, regional enterprises can optimize their networks for tomorrow’s applications, reduce energy consumption, and significantly lower their TCO.
With the benefits of scalability, the space-saving design, and simplified network management, FTTO is a sustainable solution for regional enterprises, which aligns with today and tomorrow’s sustainability goals while ensuring high network performance and reliability.