Introduced in 2023, the Open Access Committee has several objectives, including promoting the idea of Open Access and the wholesale fibre business model, stimulating and encouraging wholesale-oriented regulation and discussing and exchanging experience and best practices. To deliver on its mission and based on the know-how of its member companies, the Committee touches upon several fields, including the regulatory framework for wholesale operators, the technical aspects of Open Access, IT solutions for network operators, promotion and education, and sales and marketing of Open Access-based fibre services.

You can expect a variety of new contents and resources generating from these discussions, that will soon become beneficial to the fibre community at large.

For those who are not familiar with the concept of Open Access, here are five main advantages of adopting this business model while deploying FTTH networks, as identified by the working group:

Open Access is a model that allows for the deployment and operation of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in a cost-efficient way. Building one infrastructure that is accessible to all service providers is in fact very cost-efficient, and has a significant impact on national coverage and market value. This cost-efficiency results from the fact that the same infrastructure is shared by all service providers, reducing the need for multiple infrastructures and saving on deployment and maintenance costs.
The wholesale model can be very agile in administration, as there is no customer care. This means that service providers can focus on delivering services, while wholesale operators handle infrastructure maintenance and management.
Service providers benefit from extensive coverage of the open access network without upfront investment, which makes it easier for them to provide services to customers without having to invest in expensive infrastructure.
End-users benefit from a variety of services provided by diverse operators over the open access network. This means that customers have access to more choices in terms of services, pricing, and quality.
Open Access drives competition of services in a very simple and transparent way. The wholesale operator does not compete with service providers, and service providers have equal terms and conditions of access. This creates equal opportunities for all service providers, promoting a more competitive and dynamic market.

Stefano Fogli

Jun 3, 2024

All applicants | Board of Directors applicants |

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Applying for a Board of Directors position

First and Last Name: Stefano Fogli

Company Name: Adtran

Current Position: Director Technology and Solutions

Company Type: Vendor/Reseller (Products)

Biography:

2006, Alcatel-Lucent EMEA, FTTx solution manager
2014, Huawei UK, E2E network consulting director
2015, Openreach UK, head of FTTx architecture
2019, Sky Italy, broadband marketing director
2022, Adtran EMEA, technology and solutions director

Position statement:

Your vote is extremely important. Our Council has one critical goal: to create value for its members and for the whole industry. Full fiber is now in the spotlight across Europe, as we have just reached an average coverage rate of 70%. But in less than 3 years we will reach 80%, and the building pace could slow down abruptly, while full fiber’s priority risks to be downgraded. We must act now. So how can the council create more value in this situation? This can be done in two ways: 1) Copper switch-off, to deliver deep profitability. The Council has done a great job putting the switch-off at the heart of the EU agenda, and now we must make it happen. We have to collect and share best practices and we have to identify and neutralize potential blocking factors, working at policy, market and engineering level. This is an activity that potentially will involve several committees. 2) “100%” fiber coverage, to deliver wide adoption. While we know that true 100% coverage is not reachable, our Council must maximize this number, pushing fiber to every relevant use case. If elected, I will actively drive and contribute to the points above. My somehow unique career path spanning many diverse companies of our industry (operators and vendors), and my technical and business background will help me in this. My employer, Adtran, has a long-term commitment to the Council and has always supported it, seeking to have a meaningful impact, and not just representation. Adtran is now happy to allow me to dedicate some of my time, and a lot of my energies, to the workings of the Board. I have the direct support at our most senior management levels to provide my time, energy and effort as needed to work for the Council Board of Directors. Thank you for your consideration.

Your past role(s) and activities in the FTTH Council Europe:

Since June 2022 I have been the Chair of the Market Intelligence Committee, arguably one of the toughest jobs around. As Chair of the Market Intelligence Committee, with the fantastic help of the Vice Chair and the other members, we have reached important goals:

We have improved the market data set. No complaints this year about “wrong” data, a first in the Council’s history!!!
We have published the Market Per-Country data, a new report which uses the full extent of the Council’s historical FTTH data
We have contributed to the selection of the provider of the copper switch-off tracker – a milestone for our future
Together with the Investor Committee, we have implemented the market sentiment survey
We have changed the way we work as a Committee, involving more members to verify the market data, and making it easier to get things done

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Stefano Fogli

Applying for a Board of Directors position

Biography:

Position statement:

Your past role(s) and activities in the FTTH Council Europe:

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