What The Ftth Does That Mean?

For many of us life in lockdown means life online. Brush up on your internet lingo with our helpful guide

- Jane Vorster

For many of us, home has become the centre of our world – the walls we live in are our office, our entertainment hub and even our kids’ school.

Covid-19 has changed almost everything about the way we live our lives, and connectivity is more vital than ever. Without it we can’t do our jobs, watch streaming shows or keep up with our kids’ classwork.

But let’s face it, things can get confusing when it comes to all the options out there. FTTH, LTE, ADSL, 4G, 5G – the techie abbreviations are enough to make your head spin. And what do they all mean, anyway?

So here, in plain English, is a breakdown of all things internet-connectivity related.

ADSL

This stands for “asymmetrical digital subscriber line”, and it’s a permanent link to the internet that transmits data via your telephone landline.

Since its rollout in 2002, it’s replaced dial-up in most households. The disadvantage is it limits you to one place because you’re dependent on your landline, and at an average speed of 4Mbps, it’s rather slow.

Telkom recently announced that over the next five years it will be decommissioning its ADSL service which will mean customers will have to migrate to newer technologies such as fibre and LTE.

What you need A fixed phone line and an ADSL modem.

Who it’s best for People who don’t have access to a fibre network.

4G

This is the fourth generation of broadband cellular technology, following on from 3G and 2G, and it’s the most widely used form of cellphone data connectivity in SA right now, with about 80% of the country covered by the big four operators, Cell C, MTN, Telkom and Vodacom.