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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

EU Fibre Market Observatory 2026

May 19, 2026
Reports & Studies | Market Intelligence Committee |

The FTTH Council Europe launches the new EU Fibre Market Observatory — a one-stop, quick-read dashboard of Europe’s full-fibre progress and outlook.

FTTH Council Europe has released the new EU Fibre Market Observatory, a compact report designed to bring together—in a single, fast-to-read view—the most relevant metrics and insights previously published across the Council’s market intelligence outputs. The goal is simple: make it easier for stakeholders to track, at a glance, the pace of FTTH/B rollout, adoption, and the forward-looking trajectory of Europe’s fibre transition, without losing the analytical depth that underpins FTTH Council Europe’s reference publications.

The European FTTH/B market has entered a new stage of development, characterised by high levels of infrastructure deployment and a growing focus on network utilisation. As of September 2025, full-fibre networks pass 295 million homes across EU39 (+23 million vs September 2024), corresponding to a 79% coverage rate. This is the result of more than a decade of sustained investment. At the same time, Europe is moving into a late-stage rollout phase: while deployment continues, the pace of coverage expansion is gradually slowing, and remaining build-outs are becoming increasingly complex and costly.

Developed within the Market Intelligence Committee (MIC)—FTTH Council Europe’s strategic research arm and “official observatory” for the sector—the Observatory consolidates key indicators on deployment, coverage, subscribers, take-up, rural connectivity, historical trends, and forecasts, offering an accessible snapshot for investors, operators, policymakers, and the broader fibre ecosystem.
 

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