Fiber to the Room: Key Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects

Fiber to the Room (FTTR) is a next-generation access network designed to deliver high bandwidth, low latency, and room-level optical coverage. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the FTTR system architecture and protocol stack, focusing on three key technical aspects: centralized scheduling and control, integrated management and maintenance, and green energy-saving mechanisms. A simplified FTTR architecture based on the convergence of the medium access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layers is introduced to enhance coordination and scheduling efficiency. An extended remote management scheme, based on the optical network unit management and control interface (OMCI), is described to enable unified control across main fiber units (MFUs) and sub-fiber units (SFUs). Furthermore, a service-aware energy-saving framework is discussed for dynamic power optimization. The paper also explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and passive sensing into FTTR systems to support intelligent scheduling, energy management, and environment-aware optimization. These insights provide technical guidance for the scalable deployment and future evolution of FTTR networks.