Solve the Last Bottleneck of LAN Fiber to the Desktop
——Optical Socket Switch

As a crucial component of All-Optical Networks, Fiber-to-the-Desktop (FTTD) is indeed one of the core trends in the fiberization development of future local area networks (LANs). Integrating current industry dynamics and technological evolution directions, a comprehensive analysis is presented below from the perspectives of technology, policies, application scenarios, and challenges:

I.Technological Evolution and Industry Trends Support FTTD Development

    1.Accelerated Popularization of All-Optical Networks and 10G Optical Network Pilots

• China is advancing from the “Gigabit popularization” stage to the “10G takeoff” phase, with optical network technologies evolving toward ultra-large bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and intelligence. In 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched 10G optical network pilots, focusing on scenarios such as factories and industrial parks, and promoting the application of technologies like 50G-PON to lay the foundation for extended wireless external network access.
• Technical Support: Zhejiang Jindong Communication’s FTTRJD series offers coordinated deployment of 2.5G all-optical routers and 2.5G optical wireless APs, enabling seamless roaming and ultra-high bandwidth transmission to meet the demand for high-density terminal access in enterprise wireless LAN office scenarios.

    2.Clear Trend Toward All-Optical Networking

Zhejiang Jindong Communication’s LAN all-optical FTTD and FTTR solutions adopt an Ethernet architecture. In equipment rooms, Gigabit all-optical port switches are connected to optical cable ODF distribution frames, while backbone optical cables and indoor drop cables are directly fused and connected via splicing closures in weak current rooms. This design reduces optical loss and improves troubleshooting response speed.

For indoor desktop connections, self-developed patented products—Gigabit fiber outlet transceivers (1 optical port with multiple electrical ports)—are used for FTTD networking. These transceivers can be installed in traditional 86-type junction boxes to adapt to different application scenarios. The solution offers high flexibility, as proven by the company’s projects that have been operational for years: upgrading to 10G networks only requires replacing optical modules without modifying existing lines.

For large-scale office environments, block-based FTTD aggregation is adopted, with 12-core backbone optical cables connecting to core switches in the main equipment room. Replacing traditional copper cable or PON networking, this solution achieves high-performance, low-energy-consumption, easy-to-construct, and low-maintenance network upgrades through a minimalist optical network architecture. It better supports the high reliability and low latency requirements of scenarios such as office automation, smart buildings, and industrial internet.

 

II.Driven by Policies and Market Demand

    1.National Policies and Pilot Programs Promotion

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Notice on Launching 10G Optical Network Pilot Work clearly designates parks and factories as key scenarios, requiring verification of solutions such as FTTH/FTTR and exploration of OTN node deployment in park equipment rooms. This provides policy support for the large-scale application of FTTD. Cities like Beijing and Shanghai have already initiated “All-Optical 10G” urban construction, with a significant increase in cases of 10G upgrades in enterprise office scenarios.

    2.Demand for Enterprise Digital Transformation

With the development of cloud computing, AI, and industrial internet, enterprises’ requirements for network bandwidth, stability, and security have surged. FTTD can provide:

• High Bandwidth: Supporting applications such as 8K video, naked-eye 3D, and cloud desktops;
• Low Latency: Meeting the needs of scenarios like industrial AOI quality inspection and high-frequency financial transactions;
• Anti-Interference: Optical fibers are immune to electromagnetic interference, making them suitable for precision manufacturing environments.

 

III. Typical Application Scenarios Validating FTTD Value

1.Smart Office:

High-density workstations support lag-free 4K video conferences. Optical outlets enable hot-swapping, eliminating the need for rewiring when adjusting workstations.

2.Smart Manufacturing:

After deploying FTTD in an automobile factory, the latency of PLC control commands on the production line dropped from 15ms to 1ms, reducing annual downtime due to faults by 200 hours. The combination of FTTD and FTTR wireless networks supports industrial optical bus technology, achieving high-speed interconnection between production equipment and control systems to drive smart manufacturing upgrades.

3.Digital Healthcare:

Hospitals’ PACS systems enable second-level retrieval of CT images. Optical outlets directly connect to medical equipment, avoiding the risk of signal attenuation in copper cables.

4.Smart Education:

Bandwidth at single points in VR training classrooms exceeds 10Gbps, supporting immersive teaching with 100 concurrent users.

5.Smart Office and Parks:

In smart parks, FTTD enables the integration of production, office, and security networks, supporting high-density data transmission and AI-driven intelligent management.

6.High-Density Scenarios:

In live broadcast industrial parks and data centers, FTTD combined with FTTR wireless networks can support numerous anchors conducting 8K live broadcasts or metaverse interactions simultaneously, avoiding bandwidth bottlenecks of traditional copper cables.

 

IV.Challenges and Future Development Path

1.Technical and Cost Challenges

• Technical Maturity: Currently, core FTTD equipment (such as high-density optical modules) has become fundamentally mature.
• Cost Threshold: The initial deployment cost remains relatively high, requiring large-scale production and technological innovation to drive down costs.

2.Ecological Collaboration and Standardization

• Enhanced collaboration across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain is required to advance the formulation of compatibility standards for optical modules and terminal equipment.
• At the policy level, enterprises can be encouraged to participate in the development of industry standards—for example, by accumulating experience through “10G Campus” pilot projects.

3.Market Education and User Awareness

• For small and medium-sized enterprises, it is necessary to demonstrate the long-term benefits of FTTD through case studies (e.g., reduced operation and maintenance costs, improved efficiency) and provide flexible solutions such as installment payment plans.

V.Conclusion

As the ultimate extended form of all-optical networks, Fiber-to-the-Desktop (FTTD) combined with FTTR wireless networks will become an inevitable trend in the fiberization of future local area networks, driven by multiple factors such as improved technical maturity, strengthened policy support, and diversified application scenarios. The FTTD projects implemented by Zhejiang Jindong Communication Technology Co., Ltd. fully demonstrate its capability to support the in-depth digital transformation of fields including industrial internet, national defense, government agencies, enterprises and public institutions, education, and healthcare.

Profile of Zhejiang Jindong Communication Technology Co., Ltd.