What differences between ADSL, optical fiber and coaxial cable?, Fiber or ADSL: what differences between these two Internet access technologies?
Fiber or ADSL: what differences between these two Internet access technologies
VDSL subscribers located less than a kilometer from the telephone central (housing the internet distributor from which XDSL lines leave) can benefit from flows located Between 50 and 100 Mbit/s, which corresponds to very high speed. According to ARCEP, only 15% of ADSL lines active in France are eligible for a connection to VDSL2. An ADSL eligibility test allows you to determine it.
What differences between ADSL, optical fiber and coaxial cable ?
There are currently three main means of connection to the Internet: ADSL in high speed, coaxial or end -to -end fiber in very high speed. Each of these technologies has its own characteristics but it is possible to compare them. We explain the difference between adsl and fiber in this guide.
- The essential
- L’ADSL and the optical fiber are the two main Internet access technologies in France.
- L’cable internet use fiber only until the last connection point.
- THE Differences in flow Between ADSL and fiber are substantial, for very close prices.
- Choosing between fiber or adsl is mainly done depending on theeligibility home.
- THE Box offers price is very close between ADSL and fiber: some operators like Free offer identical prices, while for SFR, Orange and Bouygues, a fiber subscription is slightly more expensive after 12 months of subscription.
ADSL vs fiber: technological differences
What is ADSL ?
ADSL is a technology that allows digital data to pass through the copper pair a telephone line from a central distributor called NRA. These data are then transmitted and received independently of the telephone service (voice) thanks to a filter connected to the home telephone socket.
THE ADSL network (and its evolution, the VDSL) experienced its boom in the 2000s, leading to internet access to a large part of the French households. In 2022, it no longer represents the majority of the country’s subscribed internet lines, with more than 12.4 million households subscribers to an ADSL or VDSL2 package.
Optical fiber is what ?
Optical fiber is a glass wire or transparent plastic that has the property of being a light conductive. Optical fiber is used for data transmission at high speed, especially by internet networks. It was studied in the 1970s in American laboratories.
When the fiber is drawn to the subscriber, we speak of FTTH technology (For Fiber to the Home)). This is the most present type of internet subscription in the country, with more than 14.4 million subscribers in 2022.
THE coaxial cable is partly made up of fiber, and it is a technology originally used for television antennas. He connects a television to the “rake” antenna. This type of cable is also used in the context of Internet connections via HFC technology “Coaxial fiber hybrid”, better known under the title of Fttla (fiber to the last amplifier). There are 1,15 Fttla subscribers throughout the country.
It is a question of connecting an amplifier in a building in the optical connection node with fiber, then to connect this amplifier to the subscriber’s housing by a coaxial cable over the last meters.
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- 01100 – Bellignat
- 01110 – ARANC
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Differences in speeds between ADSL, coaxial cable and fiber
THE flows linked to these different technologies can be quite significant and, in the end, very far from each other. With maximum flow of 15 to 20 Mbit/s, The ADSL seems very slow in 2021. By replacing in the context of the time, with the arrival of VDSL in the mid -2000s (faster version of the ADSL always passing through telephone lines) gives it a bit.
Indeed, this technology makes it possible to reach maximum speeds of around 50 to 100 Mbit/s. Nevertheless, to reach this speed, the subscriber must be less than a kilometer from the telephone distributor (NRA), which is quite rare. Less than 15% of telephone lines are eligible for a VDSL subscription, and very often we will not reach these theoretical maximum flows.
However, whether it is ADSL or VDSL, we are far from the flow rates of the coaxial cable that can reach 1 Gbit/s For the fastest speeds, and even further from optical fiber whose flow is potentially unlimited but restricted in France 8 Gbit/s Maximum for box offers. Downloading a large file shows a flagrant difference between ADSL and fiber:
| Given | ADSL | Coaxial cable (FTTLA) | Optical fiber (FTTLA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average descending speed | 1 to 15 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s | 600 Mbit/s at 8 Gbit/s |
| Average amount rate | Less than 1 Mbit/s | Of 10 to 100 Mbit/s | Of 200 to 1 Gbit/s |
| 50 MB software download | 40 seconds | Less than 5 seconds | Less than 3 seconds |
| Download Album 400 Mo | 5 minutes 20 seconds | Less than 10 seconds | Less than 5 seconds |
| 10 GB 4K movie download | 2 hours 15 minutes | 2 minutes 40 seconds | 1 minute 30 seconds |
Packages at similar prices between fiber and ADSL
If the ADSL and the FTTH fiber are offered by all Main operators (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free and Orange), only SFR still offers the internet by coaxial cable (FTTLA).
The prices charged differ slightly according to the operators. Indeed, at SFR, Orange and Bouygues, the offers in ADSL are a little cheaper that their fiber equivalents but only after 12 months. In the case of Free, all freebox offers have a equal rate Whether ADSL, VDSL or FTTH fiber.
| Operators | Adsl prices | Coaxial cable prices (FTTLA) | FTTH fiber prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 71 07 91 35 | Of the 16 €/month Promo price | Of the 16 €/month Promo price | Of the 16 €/month Promo price |
| 09 71 07 91 18 | Of the € 15.99/month | Of the € 15.99/month | |
| Subscribe | Of the € 22.99/month | Of the € 22.99/month | |
| Subscribe | Of the € 15.99/month | Of the € 15.99/month |
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*In FTTLA (cable), the connection of the home is not in optical fiber but in coaxial.
Differences in territory coverage between ADSL and FTTH
ADSL covers about 99% of the territory (more than 30 million copper lines) where cable and fiber optics are, currently, less present in France with however more than 29 million households eligible for optical fiber, according to the latest figures ‘Arcep of April 2022.
Nevertheless, thanks to “France very high speed” plan, the development of very high speed continues to accelerate. Indeed, this project is willing to make 80% of housing in France eligible for very high speed by 2022, even if it is estimated that it would be more realistic to table on a date between 2025 and 2030.
Indeed, certain remote areas constitute a brake For operators, not seeing it not enough profitability to invest and deploy a fiber network. Of the public initiative networks have been set up to encourage operators to develop their infrastructure by helping them financially.
Some operators are more present than others on ADSL or very high speed in France. Find the cover cards of the ADSL and the FTTH fiber below:
- Orange cover.
- SFR cover.
- Free cover.
- Bouygues cover.
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Updated on 03/13/2023
Arnaud is freelance redator for selectra and writes telecom items for all selectra sites.
Fiber or ADSL: what differences between these two Internet access technologies ?
Today, it is possible to take out an ADSL or fiber optic internet subscription. These two technologies alone represent almost 90% of Internet access in France. What are the differences between ADSL and fiber in terms of operation, flows and prices ? We detail everything in this guide to help you understand and choose between ADSL or fiber, depending on your eligibility.
Eligibility test – ADSL and fiber
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- The essential
- Fiber or ADSL : These are the two main Internet access technologies used in France.
- With fiber, the connection speed can be up to 100 times faster that with an ADSL line.
- The ADSL network is well developed in France but the fiber wins one million subscribers each quarter.
- Each internet supplier generally has same fiber or ADSL offers, For similar prices.
ADSL vs fiber: two technologies, two opposite eras
ADSL and fiber: fundamental principles
ADSL represented a major advance in the internet fixed in France in the 2000s by making the popular the broadband. Until then, internet connections rarely exceeded 56 kbit/s, while with ADSL, we have been able to multiply the affected flow rates by going beyond1 Mbit/s.
How does this technology work ? Its principle is simple: a ADSL Internet line borrow exactly the same path as the lines of the France telephone network. Technical premises bring together these lines and divide them into two parts via internal switches, called Dslam. They are then transported to each subscriber which, using a DSL filter, Connect the line on his phone and box.
- ADSL uses Pairs of copper threads for its lines, while the fiber optics uses glass fibers, Excellent light drivers. This allows him to send digital data over long distances and at very high speed.
- The functioning of the fiber is based on a Still new network and independent of the copper network used for ADSL and fixed telephony. Optical fiber marks the greatest evolution of Internet networks from ADSL, allowing theAccess to very high speed for a large part of the population.
What defines a very high speed connection ? L’Arcep has established a high speed and very high speed nomenclature. Thus, we are talking about THD for any Internet access whose debit is greater than or equal to 30 Mbit/s. This brings together FTTH optical fiber, FTTLA coaxial cable fiber, but also certain satellite or radio internet access which is sometimes between 30 Mbit/s and 100 Mbit/s.
VDSL or fiber: always contrasting differences
The VDSL takes up the same data transmission techniques that ADSL, via the copper pair of telephone lines. The differences between VDSL and fiber are therefore the same as those observed between the ADSL and the fiber.
However, with VDSL, improvements are made to Optimize the power of the XDSL signal. Two generations of VDSL were followed by:
- THE VDSL1, appeared in 2002 in France and which already offered a substantial leap in performance with the ADSL of the time.
- THE VDSL2, who replaced it by providing some line improvements to offer even higher theoretical flows.
VDSL subscribers located less than a kilometer from the telephone central (housing the internet distributor from which XDSL lines leave) can benefit from flows located Between 50 and 100 Mbit/s, which corresponds to very high speed. According to ARCEP, only 15% of ADSL lines active in France are eligible for a connection to VDSL2. An ADSL eligibility test allows you to determine it.
Fiber or ADSL: comparison of flows
The biggest difference between ADSL and Fiber, in addition to technology itself, is at the level of Internet flows that we can reach on each side. Due to the use of light, optical fiber allows connection speeds without any measure with previous technologies.
The first fiber connections already reached 100 Mbit/s in the early 2010s, and today the majority of boxes can exceed 1 Gbit/s, which constitutes a considerable evolution compared to the ADSL lines which often cap around 10-20 Mbit/s in downward flow.
The Gap is widening even more in terms of Right flows : we reach 1 gbit/s in fiber ftth against 1 Mbit/s in ADSL. As a reminder, the amount of amount corresponds to the sending of files to a network while the downhill flow echoes data download. A debit test allows you to know these two data.
Regarding VDSL vs fiber, the gap remains important since even the The shortest vdsl lines cannot go beyond 50-70 Mbit/s. The higher the length of a copper cable, the more its power is weakened: it is called theweakening a line.
| Technology | ADSL | VDSL2 | FTTLA fiber | FTTH fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum descending speed | 20 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s | 1 Gbit/s | 8 Gbit/s |
| Maximum amount | 1 Mbit/s | 8 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s | 1 Gbit/s |
| Download a 10 GB movie | 80 minutes | 16 minutes | Less than 5 minutes | Less than 2 minutes |
| Download a 50 GB game | 400 minutes | 80 minutes | About 10 minutes | About 4 minutes |
| Watch videos in Full HD | ||||
| Watch 4K videos | ||||
| Stream a game on several screens | ||||
| Take advantage of the Cloud Gaming in 4K |
Updated on September 22, 2023.
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The deployment of ADSL and fiber in France
ADSL using the local copper loop of telephone lines located in France since the 1970s, its network is extremely well developed in 2022. Central telephone, called Nra, are installed everywhere on the territory, and more than 99% of the French population Can be connected to ADSL or VDSL.
Unlike ADSL, fiber is deployed using all new infrastructure. The fiber optic network starts from backbone networks which are main lines of telecommunications installed on a European scale. From there, operators invest a lot to set up their networks:
- Of the Optical connection nodes and pooling points are installed to transport and implement the fiber in specific areas.
- The fiber network being shared, operators rent infrastructure locations to the owner operator to deploy their own fiber optic lines.
| Technology | DSL (ADSL and VDSL) | Optical fiber (FTTH and FTTLA) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of eligible households | 22 million | 35.3 million |
| Number of subscribers | 9.8 million | 19 million |
| Progression over a quarter | -6.35% | +5% (compared to T4 2023) |
| Subscription percentage | 44.3% | 60% |
Data: Arcep (March 2023)
The progression of fiber coverage has been supported since 2013, when the government launched the very high speed France plan To improve access to the Internet THD in France. Each year, the number of DSL connections decreases in favor of those in fiber optics.
In 2021, the number of very high speed subscriptions (18.4 million) exceeded that of broadband subscribers (13.06 million), definitively marking the succession between ADSL and optical fiber. There are approximately one million new households connected to fiber per quarter.
You want to test your FTTH fiber eligibility ? The test below allows you to know the coverage of your city. Just indicate the name of your town and click on “Launch the test”.
Test your municipality’s fiber eligibility !
Name of your city or postal code *
- 01000-Bourg-en-Bresse
- 01100 – APREMONT
- 01100 – Arbent
- 01100 – Bellignat
- 01110 – ARANC
Launch the loading test
Fiber or ADSL: what differences in connection ?
Since the infrastructure between fiber optics and ADSL are radically distant, the connections are not the same. ADSL goes through old lines of several decades, already used for fixed telephony.
Each telephone central has a set of XDSL lines connected to many households. L’Installation of an ADSL modem In a new accommodation is quite simple since it is enough to reuse the already existing copper lines and connect the box to the line via a outlet With an RJ45 connector.
This is a simple connection that does not require the intervention of a technician. When receiving the modem, just follow the procedure indicated in the manual, by connecting the modem to the sector, then to the ADSL line via the cables and adapters provided. The landline phone is connected to the box via a RJ11 socket.
There optical fiber must be connected at each individual accommodation (or building) via a fiber socket and requires complete intervention. When a municipality is eligible for the fiber of one or more operators, this means that mutualization points have been recently installed: each inhabitant can now take out an internet fiber offer.
However, for a first optical fiber subscription, this intervention is compulsory. An appointment must be made with a technician and the connection lasts approximately 3 hours. The intervention consists in connecting the optical cable from the pooling point to the interior of the accommodation, through an optical connection point.
For a FTTLA connection, things are a little different: this network uses a coaxial cable and go through traditional telephone lines for the last meters of connection. As for ADSL, there is therefore no heavy intervention to do.
Fiber installation costs: how much do they rise ? The cost of the connection varies according to the operators, the type of installation (air cable or underground) and the length of the connection. They can be free (this is the case of free) or cost Up to € 299 For air connections.
You want to test your eligibility ? Contact a selectra coneiller that will accompany you in your procedures and let yourself be guided in order to take advantage of the partner offer most suited to your needs.
ADSL fiber comparison of available offers
Today, the vast majority of operators offer Fiber or ADSL subscriptions. Generally, all boxes of the same supplier can be taken out either in fiber or in ADSL.
The main operators in France (SFR, Orange, Free and Bouygues Telecom) have 2 to 6 Internet offers, whose prices vary according to maximum flows and services included. Certain offers only offer the Internet and the fixed telephony (we then speak ofDual Play subscription) while the others have TV services (Triple play offers)).
Once you know your fiber eligibility, you can then choose the offer that suits you with the desired operator. OUR Adsl and fiber comparator lists all the internet offers available and their current promotions.
Find in the table below a fiber – ADSL comparison of the main offers available on the market, as well as their maximum prices and flows:
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