What is the outlook for the FTTH ranking and landscape?
As of the end of September 2016, there were over 20.5 million FTTH/B subscribers in the EU282, representing a penetration rate of 9.4%, according to the latest FTTH market overview update prepared by IDATE for the FTTH Council Europe. Within the EU39, after Russia, which boasts over 17 million subscribers, the other largest markets in absolute numbers remain, as in the previous year, Spain (up to 4.5 million subscribers with a nine-month growth rate of 72%), France (3.2 million subscribers with 32% growth), and Romania (2.7 million subscribers with 17% growth). Two new economies have entered the FTTH ranking: Austria and Serbia, achieving a penetration rate of 1%. Austria is characterized by a smooth and steady rollout of very high-capacity networks. Regarding penetration, while Telekom Austria and Citycom/Graz are the main players in the FTTH/B market, the high activity of local players and local initiatives accounted for almost 50% of total FTTH/B subscribers.
In Serbia, while the market remains highly concentrated on cable solutions, FTTH is evolving positively. Telekom Srbija is the leading player in the FTTH/B market. The Serbian regulator RATEL launched a National Broadband Plan in 2014 to promote very high-capacity network initiatives from the private sector.
In terms of penetration, Latvia has confirmed the impressive progress the country has made since the end of December 2014 and now ranks first in the European FTTH rankings, with a penetration rate of 45.2%. Latvia is followed by Sweden, which also maintained a high FTTH growth rate in 2016 with a penetration rate of 40.7%, and Lithuania, which lost its number one position but still holds a very good ranking, with a penetration rate of 40.3%, compared to 36.8% at the end of September 2015. These are not the only countries making progress. France, with its French High-Speed Broadband Plan (Plan France Très Haut Débit), aims to offer high-speed broadband service, primarily based on fiber infrastructure, to all residential, business, and government offices by 2022. Local authorities are accelerating FTTH deployment in rural and suburban areas, bridging the digital divide in the country. As a result, France's penetration rate gained almost three percentage points, from 8.5% at the end of September 2015 to 11.1% at the end of September 2016, with a 32% increase in its FTTH/B subscriber base. Looking at FTTH/B reach as a percentage of total subscribers as a percentage of total households, the rate reached 28.8% in September 2016, demonstrating that the more people reached by fiber, the more they migrate to the future-proof technology.
"The latest European FTTH rankings show that by looking at countries like France and Spain, and the overall growth rate of FTTH in Europe, it is now clear that there is a greater push than ever before towards FTTH," commented Ronan Kelly, President of the FTTH Council Europe. “We are pleased to witness this progress, including two new countries entering our FTTH ranking. We believe Europe is now well-positioned to further stimulate FTTH deployment: the European Commission’s recent Gigabit Society Communication sets out a vision where high-capacity, very-wide networks support services to society that will keep Europe at the forefront of economic development.” FTTH
beneficiaries play a significant role in some European countries, representing 43% of approved households in the EU39 at the end of September 2015, up from 21% at the end of 2011, with Serbia being a prime example of a recent entry into the ranking. It is also important to note and welcome the fact that countries such as Belgium and Italy are evolving in a more fiber-friendly environment and, as such, moving towards FTTH/B technologies. In Ireland, the Government’s National Broadband Plan amended its network specification to require an FTTH-based infrastructure. The UK government has allocated a fund specifically dedicated to the rollout of FTTH. Many more similar initiatives are expected in the coming months.
What are the highlights of the FTTH Conference 2017?
The FTTH Conference remains the world's largest fiber-related event, attracting approximately 3,000 participants from 94 countries. This year, 120 exhibitors and partners are hosting the event, which includes more than 100 high-level presentations and case studies from distinguished speakers. The core themes of this 14th edition of the FTTH Conference are inspired by the new Gigabit connectivity targets and the European Commission's proposed European regulation on telecom standards, as well as the transformative role of new services and technologies enabled by very high-capacity networks in improving our lives.
