Multiple Regions Launch Old Building Renovation Policies: All-Optical Networks Open a Policy Dividend Window for System Integrators

On September 7, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Information and Communications Industry. It explicitly requires synchronous deployment of Fiber to the Room (FTTR) during new construction and renovation of civil buildings, alongside upgrades to communication infrastructure in resource-depleted cities, old urban districts and rural areas. The plan also targets 1 million 50G-PON ports by 2030.

Local governments are moving even faster. Guangdong Province has clearly stipulated to “further advance the renewal and renovation of aging communication facilities, and achieve full coverage of FTTR whole-home optical networks in both newly built and old residential compounds”. Note the wording — “achieve synchronously”, not “implement when conditions permit”. It is a mandatory indicator that must be fulfilled upon project acceptance.

Zhang Zhiyong, NPC Deputy and Chairman of China Tower, also proposed during the Two Sessions to “actively promote FTTR technology, unify and standardize specifications for concealed cabling and integrated weak-current cabinet renovation, and provide policy subsidies for residential compounds adopting advanced access technologies”.

The policy chain is crystal clear: national strategy → ministerial standards → local detailed rules → subsidy rollout.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, an estimated 115,000 urban old residential compounds nationwide will start renovation. Every renovation project includes synchronous upgrades for communication infrastructure.

I. Why All-Optical Networks Are the Optimal Solution for Old Compound Renovation

Old residential compound renovation has rigid constraints: no large-scale demolition, minimal network downtime, limited budgets and complicated on-site conditions. Traditional data communication solutions struggle under these constraints. Ethernet cables only support a maximum transmission distance of 100 meters. Buildings in old compounds are scattered, leaving remote areas with poor signal coverage. Rewiring requires slotting and drilling, which residents will not accept.

The strengths of all-optical networks precisely address these pain points.

• Thin fiber, no wall demolition required: Fiber cable is only a few millimeters in diameter. It can easily run through narrow conduits and trunking in old buildings. No massive civil demolition works, so residents avoid noise and dust from wall chiseling and cabling.
• Long transmission distance, drastically fewer weak-current rooms: A single fiber segment can transmit up to 20 km. Where each building once required a dedicated weak-current room, only one or two centralized nodes are needed for the entire compound.
• Passive architecture with fewer failure points: All-optical networks deploy passive optical splitters, which require no power supply or heat dissipation and deliver nearly zero faults. Weak-current rooms in old compounds often suffer high temperatures, humidity and heavy dust. Active hardware suffers high failure rates in such harsh environments.
• One-time deployment, long-term benefits: Fiber has far greater bandwidth capacity than copper cables. It readily supports Gigabit and 10Gbps services today. Future upgrades only require replacing terminal devices at both ends, with no changes to the fiber itself.

For old residential compound renovation, all-optical networks are not an optional add-on — they are the optimal choice.

II. To Secure These Orders, What You Need Is Not Just Capability, But Reliable Vendor Backing

Renovation projects are indeed more complex than new builds. Historical pipeline documentation may be lost, requiring re-surveying. Network services must remain online during construction via live cutover. New and legacy systems need compatibility instead of full rip-and-replace. These tasks cannot be completed simply by deploying boxes of network cables.

Many integrators want to bid on renovation projects yet feel uncertain: they lack experience drafting solutions, conducting site surveys or executing live cutovers.

Worse still, they fear spending months nurturing a project only to have the vendor poach the end customer.

AINOPOL is built to resolve these concerns.

• Vendor-supplied renovation solutions: Validated renovation blueprints for old residential compounds, outdated hotels and legacy campuses. Using scientific surveys, pipeline cleaning, fiber core replacement and route reuse, full optical upgrades can be delivered without large-scale civil works. You do not need to build solutions, network topologies and splitting ratio calculations from scratch. AINOPOL’s pre-sales team assists with site surveys, solution drafting, topology drawing and ROI calculation.
• Vendor-backed technical support: Renovation projects prioritize uninterrupted service, low investment and fast upgrades. Live cutover is technically demanding, with remote device debugging support available on demand. Hardware is compatible with legacy systems, enabling phased replacement and smooth migration without full shutdowns for renovation. You will not bear all cutover risks alone.
• Formal customer protection mechanisms: Renovation projects often take months to close. AINOPOL defines channel boundaries with 18 rigid red lines: no direct end-customer contracts, no forced inventory stocking, and exclusive project protection upon official registration. Core commitments are written into cooperation contracts, safeguarding integrators’ interests under legal terms.
• No inventory pressure: Renovation projects feature longer payment cycles than new builds, and integrators fear capital being locked in inventory. Adopt order-based procurement: purchase hardware only when projects are confirmed, with no stocking without orders. Standard orders follow cash-on-delivery terms.
• Proven real-world cases: AINOPOL all-optical solutions have been deployed across multiple industries nationwide: Changqing Oilfield (China’s largest oil & gas field), Langsi Times Industrial Park incubated by Siemens, Longxing Chemical (A-share listed enterprise with cross-provincial networking covering Hebei, Henan and Shanxi), Nankunshan Villa Hot Spring Hotel with 3,500 guest rooms, and Sayram Lake Scenic Area (national 5A-level tourist attraction). Deployments span energy, manufacturing, hospitality and scenic sectors.

The 15th Five-Year Plan has set the direction: FTTR must be deployed synchronously during new construction and renovation of civil buildings. Guangdong has taken the lead to mandate full FTTR coverage for new and old residential compounds. 115,000 old residential compounds await renovation, and tenders for communication upgrades are being released in batches.

All-optical renovation orders are not a distant prospect — they are already underway.

For system integrators, business follows projects. Where policies go, projects follow. Now is not the time to wait and watch; you should get ready with all-optical renovation capabilities.

When renovation projects are released on a large scale, you will be ready to take them on.

FAQ

Q: Is FTTR mandatory for old residential compound renovation?
A: Policy is actively promoting it. MIIT’s 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly states “synchronous deployment of FTTR during new construction and renovation of civil buildings”. Joint documents issued by MIIT and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development require synchronous upgrades of communication infrastructure during old compound renovation. Guangdong has mandated full FTTR coverage for both new and old residential compounds.

Q: Can integrators with no prior all-optical renovation experience take on these projects?
A: Yes. AINOPOL provides end-to-end technical support, from survey coordination and solution design to device commissioning and after-sales O&M. You only manage client communication and on-site coordination; the vendor handles technical risks.

Q: Will the vendor directly contact my customers?
A: AINOPOL includes 18 rigid red lines in formal contracts: no direct end-customer contracts, no forced stocking, and exclusive protection once a project is registered. Core commitments are legally documented in cooperation contracts to protect integrators’ interests.