Movistar has just announced a new service called FTTR fiber. For some, this was great news, but for ordinary mortals, it’s just another mystery, another set of acronyms that aren’t clear whether they’re the result of genuine innovation or careful marketing. Is it a connection protocol, a special type of optical fiber? Perhaps an abbreviation for the combined offer of internet, mobile, television and an apartment on the beach 15 days a year?

No, it’s none of the above. Actually It is part of a group called FTTx, short for Fiber To The X, where x indicates the maximum range of the optical connection. Therefore, when we talk about the optical connection that the Internet provider offers us, we are talking about the FTTH connection, i.e. Fiber To The Home (or FTTO, Fiber To The Office, if we are talking about the connection at the workplace). In some contexts we may see FTTH and FTTO referred to in a uniform manner as FTTP (not to be confused with the now obsolete FTP), Fiber To The Premise.

In all these cases, when we talk about these types of connections, We always refer to the service offered by the operator. This means that it is possible that we, motu proprio, we installed fiber between the rooms of our house to ensure the maximum speed of the home network. Anyway, what the operator offers us will continue to be FTTH, because the reach of “his” fiber ends at the router that connects us to the rest of the world.

With that basics out of the way, you may already have a sense of where the shots are going with this new carrier announcement. Indeed, Movistar’s FTTR fiber optic service is Fiber To The Room. Okay, that sounds very nice, but what exactly is it? Well, in extending the reach of the fiber beyond the router, which in the case of FTTH connections indicates the end point of the operator’s reach.

With FTTR fiber, the operator (in this case Movistar) continues to carry its own optical network to the router, but instead of stopping there, a cable is deployed during the installation process, also fiber, but thinner. and practically invisible to the eye (according to the company), which extends throughout the interior of the houseand to which several extenders are connected. The cable connection is therefore optical throughout the network and the extenders are strategically placed to guarantee optimal wireless coverage throughout the house.

The advantage of this system is does not require work or complex assembly. According to the company, the FTTR installation cable can be routed directly through skirting boards and through door frames. According to Movistar, this system is ideal for large houses, several floors and/or with walls and wiring that complicate the arrival of a wireless signal in all rooms. It’s currently only offered in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​but from what they say, it won’t be long before it hits other regions.