“The latest market figures show that we are on track to meet the connectivity targets set by the European Commission for 2030. However, the data also demonstrate that more effort is needed to convince subscribers to choose fiber optics. Adoption rates are too low in many countries, and the drivers of demand are multiple and complex, requiring the attention of both policymakers and service providers,” said Eric Festraets, President of the FTTH Council Europe. “We trust that policymakers will support deployment in areas where there are no viable commercial arguments, and we encourage governments and regulators to continue creating an environment conducive to healthy competition and attractive to private investors.”.

FTTH/B Market Overview in 2023
The total number of households with Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and Fiber to the Building (FTTB) in the EU39 reached 219 million households in September 2022, up from almost 198.4 million in September 2021.
The main drivers in terms of households with fiber optic connection in absolute figures are the United Kingdom (+4.2 million), France (+3.5 million), Turkey (+2.9 million) and Italy (+2.1 million).
The top five countries with the fastest annual growth rates in fiber optic households are Belgium (+60%), the UK (+51%), Serbia (+40%), the Netherlands (+34.7%), and Greece (+34.5%). The FTTH/B coverage rate in the EU39 now stands at 62.2% (up 5 percentage points from 2021), and the coverage rate in the EU27+UK officially exceeds half of all households: 55.1% (compared to 48.5% in 2021). These figures reaffirm the continuous upward trend observed for several consecutive years.

The number of FTTH and FTTB subscribers in the EU39 region[1] reached 108 million. The 5 fastest-growing markets in terms of new subscribers were France (+3.3 million), the United Kingdom (+1.5 million), Spain (+1.1 million), Turkey (+898) and Italy (+822).
In September 2022, the FTTH/B[2] adoption rate in the EU39 increased to 49.5% (up 1% year-on-year). This indicates that, despite progress, a significant gap remains between fiber optic coverage and adoption, as evidenced by the even slower progress in the EU27+UK, where the adoption rate grew by only 0.4% (to 52.8%).

In general, the report It observes an increasing contribution from traditional operators to FTTH/B coverage figures, with around 56% of all EU39 households served by alternative ISPs and around 39% by traditional ISPs, with the remaining 4% served by municipalities/utilities. While alternative operator initiatives remain dominant, traditional operators are closing the gap.

As for households that still lack coverage, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy are the countries where the most work remains to be done: in total, 89 million households are still not connected to FTTH/B networks, representing 55% of all EU27 households without a subscription.


FTTH/B World Ranking 2023
He reportThe FTTH Councils Global Alliance initiative analyzes FTTH/B penetration rates worldwide. Data from September 2022 shows that 22 countries have achieved penetration rates exceeding 50%. The UAE leads the ranking with 98.1%, while Qatar has quickly caught up, reaching second place with 97.8% (up from 84% the previous year). Singapore (96.5%), Hong Kong (91.6%), and China (89.4%) complete the top five.

In the European region, for the fourth consecutive year, Iceland leads the European ranking for FTTH/B penetration with 76.8%. It is followed by Spain (73.5%) and Portugal (71.1%). Seven countries have surpassed the 50% penetration mark (Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Romania, and France).

FTTH/B Forecasts for Europe 2023-2028
The market forecasts are consistent with previous estimates and in line with the findings of the FTTH/B Market Overview. The data predicts approximately 211 million homes with fiber optic connections for FTTH/B in 2028 in the EU27+UK and 308 million homes with fiber optic connections in the EU39 region. The three countries with the most completed homes are expected to be Germany (33.5 million), France (33.2 million), and the UK (30.7 million).

According to the forecastsThe number of subscribers will reach 137 million in the EU27+UK and 196 million in the EU39, with adoption rates steadily increasing in both regions.

In terms of technology, the data shows a significant trend in which PON gradually but clearly prevails over point-to-point fiber, as a result of the progress of PON technologies, on the one hand, and the great attention paid to energy consumption and sustainability, on the other.

FTTH/B in rural areas 2023
The report shows that, as of September 2022, only 41% of rural residents could enjoy the capabilities offered by full fiber connectivity (compared to an average of 56% of European households in the EU27+UK region covered by FTTH/B networks). The five countries with the highest rural FTTH/B coverage are Denmark (86%), Romania (83%), Latvia (77%), Spain (74%), and Portugal (70%). The report emphasizes that rural coverage in the EU27+UK is growing steadily and even faster than in non-rural regions; a clear indication that the focus of policy and regulatory initiatives is shifting towards suburban and rural areas.

Overview of fiber optic financing operations in selected European countries
Financing fiber optics is becoming increasingly difficult. Investors and entrepreneurs need guidance. To this end, the FTTH Council Europe Investors Committee, with the support of Macquarie, has compiled and launched this first overview of fiber optic financing transactions in selected European countries. It includes current trends, key risk factors, and country-specific listings of transactions we have observed in the market. Where this information is publicly available, these listings include the financing volume, the banks involved, the financial and legal advisors, and the expansion objectives. The Investors Committee will update this information twice a year.


[1] The EU39 is defined as the 27 Member States of the European Union + United Kingdom + 4 CIS countries + Andorra, Iceland, Israel, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey.
[2] The adoption rate is defined as the number of subscribers in proportion to approved households.