Members of the FTTH Council Europe are active in every segment of the fibre to the home (FTTH) value chain. The Deployment and Operations (D&O) Committee is the place where technology experts come together to discuss, debate and educate the broader telecom ecosystem and help industry stakeholders understand how to deploy high quality full-fibre networks, addressing the large variety of challenges they face throughout Europe.

From design and planning, to optimal technology selection, roll out of operations, testing and maintenance, our key publication, the FTTH Handbook, brings together state-of-the-art information and recommendations to help every FTTH professional in the industry. Its 9th edition was unveiled on 15th September 2021 during the FTTH Virtual Conference 2021; it is already available for members of the FTTH Council Europe on a complementary basis and can be purchased by the general public here.

5G is fibre’s best friend! The D&O Committee has undertaken two valuable pieces of research to evaluate the potential benefits that are brought about through converged planning of FTTH and 5G backhaul networks.  We presented the results of these studies in a recent webinar, you can access the replay here.

More recently, the Committee has produced a white paper which details the reasons underpinning our position in favour of full-fibre compared to alternative broadband technologies. 

 

 

FTTH/B in Rural Areas 2024

On the occasion of the FTTH Conference 2024, the Market Intelligence Committee of the FTTH Council Europe presented the 2024 update to its FTTH/B in Rural Areas report, introducing the latest insights in terms of FTTH/B coverage in rural Europe, and the main strategies implemented by National government to speed up rural FTTH/B deployment.

The report shows that by September 2023, approximately 64% of European households (EU27+UK) are covered by FTTH/B networks, with 48% of rural inhabitants now enjoying the capabilities offered by full-fibre connectivity, marking an increase of 7 percentage points year-on-year. An increasing number of countries have launched projects to address underserved areas, particularly rural regions, where reliable networks are essential. Authorities and regulators are defining ambitious national programs to achieve Digital Agenda goals for 2025/2030.

The report emphasizes that the coverage of rural areas in EU27+UK is growing steadily, despite at a very different pace among European countries. The five countries with the highest Rural FTTH/B coverage are Romania (92%), Denmark (90%), The Netherlands (83%), Latvia (83%), and Spain (79%).

The entire ecosystem has heightened its focus on achieving full-fibre connectivity, speeding up both deployments and adoption rates. In European countries with a technology-neutral approach, FTTH/B deployment is advancing, although VDSL technologies continue to play a significant role, as seen in the UK, Germany, and Italy.

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