NEWS: UPDATE HIGH-SPEED FIBRE SEES STRONG GROWTH IN OECD COUNTRIES


Te Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released the latest update to its broadband portal, which demonstrates high-speed fibre subscriptions grew by 15 per cent across member countries from June 2020 to June 2021. Fibre now makes up 32


per cent of fixed broadband subscriptions across the OECD’s 38 member countries. Tis is up from 12 per cent a decade ago, and is outpacing a 4.5 per cent rise in overall fixed broadband subscriptions. According to the organisation, member countries use different technology mixes, but 23 of the 38 now have a higher share of fibre than copper- wire DSL in their total fixed broadband connections, up from 20 countries a year ago. Cable showed more modest


growth of 4 per cent in the year to June 2021, and is now declining


in 15 countries, yet it remains the main fixed broadband technology for nine OECD countries. DSL subscriptions declined by 6% over the same period, with several OECD countries showing sharp declines. Latin American OECD countries


saw significant increases in fibre, with growth rates of 74 per cent for Costa Rica, 71 per cent for Chile, 43 per cent for Colombia and 26 per cent for Mexico. Other countries with strong growth in fibre connections include Israel (76 per cent), Ireland (54 per cent) and Italy (53 per cent). Seven countries now have a fibre share above 70 per cent of their fixed broadband subscriptions: Korea ( 86 per cent), Japan (83 per cent), Lithuania 77 per cent), Spain (76 per cent) Sweden (76 per cent), Iceland (72 per cent) and Latvia (71 per cent). Cable remains dominant in


North and South America, said OECD, accounting for 64 per cent


COX COMMUNICATIONS COMMITS TO MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR NETWORK UPGRADE


U.S. provider, Cox Communications is to make a multi-billion-dollar annual infrastructure investment over the coming years to build a 10-Gigabit capable fibre network. Expanded FTTP, alongside enhancements to cable’s broadband


DOCSIS 4.0 technology will help Cox to deliver multi-Gigabit symmetrical speeds in the coming years to residential and business customers. So far in the 10 years, Cox has invested more than $19bn in network


and product upgrades as part of its efforts to ‘bridge the digital divide.’ Te latest funding is to build on this and includes approximately $400m over the next three years to expand its footprint to reach more than 100,000 homes in underserved and rural communities near the provider’s existing footprint. In addition, the company plans to reach more underserved


communities by partnering with local cities and towns looking to leverage federal funding opportunities to address specific community objectives and help close the digital divide. Cox will also continue to work with local leaders to drive smart community development, using the latest technology to create smart traffic and parking management, public safety, smart utility management that benefit both city operators and citizens. Mark Greatrex, president of Cox Communications said: ‘Connectivity


is at the heart of everything we do. With new applications of technology from virtual reality classrooms to autonomous vehicles to the metaverse, people will require increased bandwidth to power their digital futures. Included in this investment is our commitment to bring robust and reliable services to underserved communities and to be the internet provider customers count on to make those valuable connections a reality.’


ROLL OUT Irish fixed broadband provider eir has partnered with InfraVia, creating a new fibre company to accelerate FTTH deployment across the Republic of Ireland. eir will contribute its existing


NEWCO CREATED TO AID IRELAND FTTH


FTTH and copper infrastructure, with InfraVia as an investment partner, to help the network reach 1.9 million premises by the end of 2026. Te network is designed to provide ultrafast speeds across the Republic of Ireland. InfraVia will acquire a 49.99 per cent interest in the entity, with eir retaining the remaining 50.01 per cent. Te new company, Fibre


Networks Ireland, will have access to eir’s existing infrastructure base, alongside its team throughout the duration of the fibre roll out. Te network will have an open access model. Te company will enter into a long- term service agreement with eir, which will continue supporting the entity’s operations and investment programme. Stephen Tighe, CFO at eir,


said: ‘Te establishment of Fibre 6 FiBRE SYSTEMS n Issue 35 n Spring 2022


Networks Ireland provides a vehicle for further investment in our already extensive network. eir’s mission has always been to connect people through great quality services. Trough this exciting partnership with InfraVia we can improve our ability to connect customers faster than ever before and ensure that more homes in Ireland can access the high-speed internet, which has become an increasingly important part of how we live our lives.’ Bruno Candès, partner at


InfraVia Capital Partners, added: ‘We are very pleased to partner with eir and its shareholders in building out a high-quality, national FTTH network providing next-generation connectivity across Ireland. Fibre internet access is a critical service that enables an inclusive digital transformation, and we are proud to support this transition. Tis investment builds on our existing track record in Ireland and our deep communications infrastructure experience across Europe.’


www.fibre-systems.com @fibresystemsmag


of subscriptions in the US, 62 per cent in Costa Rica, 61 per cent in Colombia, 50 per cent in Canada, 42 per cent in Mexico and 41.4 per cent in Chile, where fibre has overtaken it. In Europe cable is the dominant technology in Belgium (53 per cent), Hungary (46.4 per cent), and Te Netherlands (46 per cent). DSL connections, meanwhile, saw


sharp declines of more than 30 per cent in Chile (-37 per cent), New Zealand (-32 per cent), Norway (-40 per cent), Spain (-32 per cent), and Sweden (-31 per cent). Some


operators in OECD countries are in the process of shuting down copper connections altogether, for instance in France, Japan, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Spain. Overall, fixed broadband


subscriptions totalled 462.5 million as of June 2021, up from 443 million a year earlier, to average 33.8 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Mobile broadband subscriptions totalled 1.67 billion as of June 2021, up from 1.57 billion a year earlier, and averaged 122 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.


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