Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2008 - (Page 44) By Kent Brown Industry Spotlight tomized to each specific community. This provides a range of benefits from an “invisible network” solution that eliminates unsightly pedestals, to delivery of customized services such as community TV chan- FTTH electronics and fiber management to support a 750 home communinels, WiFi coverage in ty with triple play services. common areas, security The most important stakeholder in a cameras and unique voice/video/data FTTH community is the resident. Every service bundles. Home builders also share in the bene- homeowner consumes bandwidth and fits provided by FTTH. The enhanced relies on technology, but few intuitively marketing value of a connected commu- understand the value of a FTTH community improves foot traffic and potential nity verses traditional solutions. So what are the differences? They customers. In addition, home builders include small things like having all servcan tap into the concept of a “technology amenity” to help drive deployment of in- ices turned on at the time of move-in to home technology. This leads to improved having neighborhood “technology conmargins on a per home basis and happier sultants” at hand to assist with questions customers. FTTH makes home technolo- on service offerings, equipment and ingy come alive for homeowners and savvy home technology. Content and services builders leverage this as part of their are also a priority. Many FTTH systems are able to access over 100 HD channels, model home sales process. With such a natural connection which makes watching standard TV as between FTTH and home technology, painful as dial-up. In addition to ultramany FTTH system operators are also fast internet access, FTTH systems can low-voltage-system integrators. These offer custom solutions for telecommuters operators are highly skilled at educating and specialty interests such as internet homeowners on FTTH from the moment gaming or international TV programthey step into a model home until they ming. Community and home security are priorities for most residents and move into their new home. FTTH can support everything from comWhy is this important to home builders? The NAHB and Consumers munity-based IP cameras to traditional Electronics Association reports that while home security. With benefits that range from a new more than 80 percent of builders view inhome technology as a key component of business opportunity, to creation of a their product, fewer than two percent technology amenity that has the power to actively market these solutions. FTTH differentiate a community and satisfy system operators are in an excellent posi- consumer demand for advanced services tion to fill this gap and help builders mar- and technology, FTTH should be evaluated by every developer.SLDT ket and deliver home technology. Sustainable Land Development magazine and AFL Telecommunications recently cosponsored a FTTH Made Easy webcast that featured an expert panel that included James Carbine, President of Carbine Development and Jamie Spurlock, President of Crystal Clear – a FTTH system operator. To receive a copy of the webcast presentation and understand how FTTH Made Easy can benefit you, contact AFL Telecommunications at 864 433 8072 or email kent.brown@afltele.com. Fiber-to-the-Home Made Easy AFL Telecommunications is helping developers evaluate and implement FTTH Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) and creation of a “technology amenity” is rapidly being discovered by developers as a powerful addition to what makes a community unique. In fact, RVA Market Research – a leading FTTH analyst, estimated that 60 percent of new masterplanned communities that broke ground in 2007 included FTTH. So what’s driving the exploding interest in FTTH? The complete answer can only be arrived at by examining FTTH from the perspective of all the stakeholders within a community: the developer, builder and – most importantly, the resident. From the developer’s perspective, FTTH is a future-proof infrastructure that enables technology to become a compelling feature that defines a community. By differentiating a community and delivering unique marketing value, a FTTH amenity can accelerate lot sales – something particularly valuable in the current market conditions. Beyond the benefits to a developer’s core business, FTTH also creates an interesting business opportunity where developers can create their own company to deploy and operate the network, or partner with an established system operator. Either way, the business side of FTTH offers a compelling return on investment that is supported by the recurring revenue from residential services and the asset value of the network. In addition to having primary responsibility for deploying and operating the network, a FTTH system operator can provide developers numerous advantages, versus traditional telecommunications and CATV service providers. Elements of each FTTH system and service offerings are cus44 January 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today
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