FTTH
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What is the current state of play for FTTH deployment in Europe and America, and what needs to be done in the next 12 months to meet various governments’ ambitious targets?
KEELY PORTWAY F
ibre deployment is progressing at an unprecedented pace across all Europe. According to the FTTH Council Europe’s
latest Market Panorama, FTTH/B coverage in the EU39 now reaches 57% of households, confirming the continuous upward trend that has been observed for several years in a row now.
FTTH in Europe Vincent Garnier, Director General of the FTTH Council Europe, says: “Tis positive trend can be explained by several factors, including a favourable policy and regulatory environment – key preconditions for private investments to continue to flow in our sector. Tanks to important legislative initiatives such as the European Electronic Communications Code, the
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regulatory framework is now really focused on very high-capacity networks, among which FTTH stands out as the most efficient and future-proof technology. Te FTTH Council Europe also welcomes the fact that the EU’s policy objectives related to connectivity are backed with public funding, particularly the ‘Next Generation EU’ and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, accounting for more than €13bn earmarked for broadband connectivity, including FTTH.” With deployments well under way, Garnier
believes the adoption of fibre is where policymakers and the industry will need to focus their efforts in the future. He says: “While our Market Forecasts 2022-2027 report a positive trend in terms of take-up in the next five years, we currently observe an important disparity
between FTTH deployment and adoption rates at European level, which needs to be urgently addressed. In light of this, the FTTH Council Europe is working on an important study that will lead to a series of recommendations to boost the adoption and effective usage of full-fibre infrastructures in Europe.” With the view of reconfirming FTTH
technology as the key element in achieving the gigabit connectivity target for all EU households by 2030, the FTTH Council Europe will also continue to contribute and provide inputs to relevant upcoming legislative initiatives at the EU level. Garnier continues: “As part of these efforts, we are anticipating the work on the Access Recommendation and Broadband Cost Reduction Directive review, as well as the update of the State Aid Guidelines, all of which will greatly mater for the sector.” However, he highlights that, despite the positive
environment in which our industry currently finds itself, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed:
In-home connectivity Garnier feels the quality of in-home connectivity will be a key parameter for FTTH adoption, because avoiding the end of the network from becoming a botleneck will be crucial. He says: “Hence the FTTH Council Europe’s initiative to publish the In-home Broadband Excellence (IBE) Guide – presented in May 2022 in occasion of the last FTTH Conference in Vienna – which describes the technical solutions available to maximise the performance of in-home connectivity and the end-user experience and satisfaction.”
Fibre Yearbook 2023
Joerg Lantelme/
Shutterstock.com
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