Hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by the Fiber Network Council APAC – which holds this year’s presidency of the FTTH Councils Global Alliance (FCGA) – the latest summit brought together over 25 senior leaders from the six regional councils.
Over the course of two days, participants engaged in networking and discussions, exploring both the differences and shared challenges of fibre deployment and adoption at the international level. The event provided a valuable opportunity for the FTTH Councils Global Alliance to align on shared objectives and initiatives, while enabling fibre stakeholders worldwide to exchange and learn from the successful experiences of their peers, with a focus on future challenges and regional priorities.
The fibre deployment trend in the Asia-Pacific region is accelerating, with the ‘FTTH/B Panorama 2023 APAC’ released by the Fiber Network Council APAC report showing a 7.1% increase in subscribers to 645 million and a 7.9% rise in homes passed to 815 million by June 2023. Over the last decade, subscribers have grown 6.3 times, and homes passed have increased 2.6 times. However, this rapid expansion has led to a decline in the take-up rate in some markets. The report classifies the region into three tiers: mature markets with over 80% coverage (China, Japan, South Korea), medium markets with 30-80% coverage (Australia, Indonesia), and high-potential markets with less than 30% coverage but strong growth, particularly in India, which saw 153% subscriber growth since December 2021.
The FTTH Council Europe’s ‘European FTTH/B Market Panorama 2024’ shows a positive trend in FTTH deployments in Europe, with 69.9% coverage in the EU39 area in September 2023. Despite this, only 34.7% of homes are effectively connected, with significant hurdles in key markets like Germany, the UK, Italy, Greece, Belgium, and Austria, resulting in a take-up rate of just 50%. Implementing the Gigabit Infrastructure Act will be crucial for expanding fibre networks and reaching maximum coverage, alongside effective demand-side measures and a clear plan for copper switch-off to stimulate the adoption of fibre-based services, pre-requisite to driving the required private investments.
The Fiber Broadband Association’s ‘The State of The North American Fiber Industry’, December 2023, shows that the region had record fibre deployment, with 9 million homes passed during the year. The United States ended the year with 77.9 million homes passed and 30.9 million homes passed with fibre. Fibre ‘take-rates’ are averaging 45.4% based on unique home passings. In Canada, fibre has now been deployed passed 12.1 million homes with 44.6% take-rates against unique fibre home passings. The US is in the early stages of the largest fibre investment cycle in history, as the Administration works to connect every home by the end of the decade.
The FTTH Panorama Latam 2023 report, by the Fiber Broadband Association – LATAM Chapter, highlights that Latin America and the Caribbean had 56.7 million fixed broadband FTTH accesses by the end of 2022. The growth of FTTH technology is expected to replace other fixed broadband technologies in the region, which currently serves 54 million households. Countries with low FTTH penetration, such as Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Puerto Rico, present significant opportunities for market development. With 68.7 million underserved households, the region has substantial growth potential, especially when compared to Europe’s 70% coverage and 35% penetration rate. Fibre optics are seen as the key driver for this expansion.
Fiber Connect Council MENA emphasised the critical role data centres will play in driving the AI revolution and enabling widespread 5G deployment across the region. The Middle East is poised for significant growth, with its data centre market valued at $5.57 billion in 2023 and projected to soar to $9.61 billion by 2029, reflecting a robust CAGR of 9.52%. As the backbone of digital transformation, these investments will be pivotal in shaping the future of technology and connectivity in the region.
Digital Council Africa reiterated that the continent has seen an unparalleled digital metamorphosis, catalysed by the far-reaching effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This transformative wave has reshaped the SSA landscape through the rapid expansion of connectivity, the widespread adoption of mobile technologies, and the surge in internet usage. SSA’s youthful population stands as a compelling attraction when compared to regions with predominantly older demographics. Nonetheless, manoeuvring through the intricate SSA terrain can be a formidable undertaking, and better policy environments will attract further investment.
The post FTTH summit highlights industry trends and challenges appeared first on Data Centre & Network News.
Hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by the Fiber Network Council APAC – which holds this year’s presidency of the FTTH Councils Global Alliance (FCGA) – the latest summit brought together over 25 senior leaders from the six regional councils.
Over the course of two days, participants engaged in networking and discussions, exploring both the differences and shared challenges of fibre deployment and adoption at the international level. The event provided a valuable opportunity for the FTTH Councils Global Alliance to align on shared objectives and initiatives, while enabling fibre stakeholders worldwide to exchange and learn from the successful experiences of their peers, with a focus on future challenges and regional priorities.
The fibre deployment trend in the Asia-Pacific region is accelerating, with the ‘FTTH/B Panorama 2023 APAC’ released by the Fiber Network Council APAC report showing a 7.1% increase in subscribers to 645 million and a 7.9% rise in homes passed to 815 million by June 2023. Over the last decade, subscribers have grown 6.3 times, and homes passed have increased 2.6 times. However, this rapid expansion has led to a decline in the take-up rate in some markets. The report classifies the region into three tiers: mature markets with over 80% coverage (China, Japan, South Korea), medium markets with 30-80% coverage (Australia, Indonesia), and high-potential markets with less than 30% coverage but strong growth, particularly in India, which saw 153% subscriber growth since December 2021.
The FTTH Council Europe’s ‘European FTTH/B Market Panorama 2024’ shows a positive trend in FTTH deployments in Europe, with 69.9% coverage in the EU39 area in September 2023. Despite this, only 34.7% of homes are effectively connected, with significant hurdles in key markets like Germany, the UK, Italy, Greece, Belgium, and Austria, resulting in a take-up rate of just 50%. Implementing the Gigabit Infrastructure Act will be crucial for expanding fibre networks and reaching maximum coverage, alongside effective demand-side measures and a clear plan for copper switch-off to stimulate the adoption of fibre-based services, pre-requisite to driving the required private investments.
The Fiber Broadband Association’s ‘The State of The North American Fiber Industry’, December 2023, shows that the region had record fibre deployment, with 9 million homes passed during the year. The United States ended the year with 77.9 million homes passed and 30.9 million homes passed with fibre. Fibre ‘take-rates’ are averaging 45.4% based on unique home passings. In Canada, fibre has now been deployed passed 12.1 million homes with 44.6% take-rates against unique fibre home passings. The US is in the early stages of the largest fibre investment cycle in history, as the Administration works to connect every home by the end of the decade.
The FTTH Panorama Latam 2023 report, by the Fiber Broadband Association – LATAM Chapter, highlights that Latin America and the Caribbean had 56.7 million fixed broadband FTTH accesses by the end of 2022. The growth of FTTH technology is expected to replace other fixed broadband technologies in the region, which currently serves 54 million households. Countries with low FTTH penetration, such as Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Puerto Rico, present significant opportunities for market development. With 68.7 million underserved households, the region has substantial growth potential, especially when compared to Europe’s 70% coverage and 35% penetration rate. Fibre optics are seen as the key driver for this expansion.
Fiber Connect Council MENA emphasised the critical role data centres will play in driving the AI revolution and enabling widespread 5G deployment across the region. The Middle East is poised for significant growth, with its data centre market valued at $5.57 billion in 2023 and projected to soar to $9.61 billion by 2029, reflecting a robust CAGR of 9.52%. As the backbone of digital transformation, these investments will be pivotal in shaping the future of technology and connectivity in the region.
Digital Council Africa reiterated that the continent has seen an unparalleled digital metamorphosis, catalysed by the far-reaching effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This transformative wave has reshaped the SSA landscape through the rapid expansion of connectivity, the widespread adoption of mobile technologies, and the surge in internet usage. SSA’s youthful population stands as a compelling attraction when compared to regions with predominantly older demographics. Nonetheless, manoeuvring through the intricate SSA terrain can be a formidable undertaking, and better policy environments will attract further investment.
The post FTTH summit highlights industry trends and challenges appeared first on Data Centre & Network News.