Fiber to the Node (FTTN)
FTTN extends high-capacity fiber from the central office to a neighborhood node — typically located 500 meters to 1.5 kilometers from subscriber premises. From that node, the final connection to each home or business runs over the existing copper telephone network, allowing carriers to deliver substantially higher broadband speeds than legacy DSL without replacing any copper in the access network.
iFiber Optix supplies the complete fiber infrastructure for every layer of an FTTN deployment, with particular depth in the high-count feeder cable, outdoor splice and distribution hardware, node cabinet enclosures, and weatherproof termination components that neighborhood node deployments demand.
FTTN Network Architecture
Select any segment in the diagram to see the iFiber Optix products deployed at that layer — from CO feeder through neighborhood node and copper last mile to premises.
Select any segment in the diagram to see the iFiber Optix products at that layer of the FTTN architecture.
Select Your Deployment Type
FTTN node deployments vary by network topology, existing copper infrastructure, and the number of premises served per node. Select your deployment type below.
New OSP Fiber Plant to Node
Greenfield FTTN deployments install new duct-buried or aerial feeder fiber from the CO to purpose-built neighborhood node cabinets. The fiber plant is designed from the outset for eventual upgrade to FTTC or FTTP — with FDH enclosures, splice points, and feeder fiber counts sized for the final fiber-to-premises architecture.
- Feeder count: 96–432 fibers from CO — future-proofed for FTTP upgrade
- Node serves: 100–500 premises within 1.5 km copper radius
- Installation: New conduit or direct-buried duct plant
- Future path: OSP fiber reused for FTTC/FTTP node push
Overlay on Existing Copper Infrastructure
Legacy upgrade FTTN deployments add new fiber to an existing copper telephone network — overlaying fiber feeder along existing pole routes or threading new fiber into existing conduit to reach neighborhood DSLAM cabinets that previously received their signal over copper pairs from the CO.
- Existing copper: Retained end-to-end — no rip and replace
- New fiber: CO to existing node cabinet location only
- Installation: Overlay on existing pole or duct route
- Speed improvement: DSL to VDSL2 upgrade at node
Long-Reach Rural Node Deployment
Rural FTTN deployments extend fiber over much longer distances to serve lower-density areas — feeder runs of 10–30 km from the CO to a rural node are common, with the copper last mile often exceeding 1.5 km. Armored cable and robust outdoor enclosures are essential for the environmental conditions of rural outside plant.
- Feeder length: 10–30 km CO to rural node
- Copper last mile: Often 1.5–3 km from node to premises
- Cable: Armored direct-buried or aerial ADSS
- Node rating: Full outdoor environmental — extreme temps
Outside Plant Feeder Cable
The OSP feeder connecting the CO to neighborhood nodes — gel-free singlemode construction for fast mid-span access and sized for future FTTC/FTTP upgrade reuse.
Corning ALTOS® Loose Tube, Gel-Free Cable
The standard FTTN feeder backbone — gel-free waterblocking eliminates splice closure cleanup at every mid-span access point. FTTN feeder runs are typically longer than FTTC deployments, making the fast-access, no-cleanup properties of gel-free construction even more valuable at every FDH splice point along the route. SZ-stranded loose tube design allows rapid buffer tube access without special tools.
Enclosures & Distribution Hardware
FTTN requires weather-rated enclosure hardware at the CO, FDH pedestals along the feeder route, and inside every neighborhood node cabinet — all sized for outdoor deployment in uncontrolled environments.
CCH Housings & Panels
1U–4U Corning LANscape® compatible rack enclosures for organized CO feeder cable termination and splice management at the network origin point.
HD Rack Mount — P Series
Ultra-high-density 1RU–4RU rack panels for high-count CO and hub site feeder origination — future-proofed for FTTC/FTTP fiber counts.
Wall Mount Enclosures
Compact NEMA-rated LGX wall-mount enclosures for neighborhood node cabinet fiber termination — rated for outdoor uncontrolled environments.
Splice Cassettes
LGX and Corning-compatible splice cassettes for organized fusion splice management inside FDH pedestals and node cabinet fiber enclosures.
How FTTN Compares to FTTC & FTTH
- Fiber to neighborhood node
- 500 m – 1.5 km copper to premises
- ADSL2+ / VDSL2 at node
- Lowest fiber deployment cost
- 100–500 premises per node
- Bandwidth: up to ~100 Mbps
- Fiber to street cabinet at curb
- < 300 m copper to premises
- VDSL2 / G.fast at cabinet
- Medium fiber deployment cost
- 24–96 premises per cabinet
- Bandwidth: up to ~500 Mbps
- Fiber reaches every premises
- No copper in subscriber path
- ONT at each premises
- Highest fiber deployment cost
- 1 fiber per premises
- Bandwidth: 1–10 Gbps+