High levels of FTTH coverage are achievable with bold decisions by policymakers

Society and the economy have become reliant on the availability of high-quality broadband. In many European countries there is extensive coverage of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure capable of providing broadband at gigabit speeds. However, commercial investment to provide FTTH coverage to every premises has its limitations and it is appropriate for public funding to be provided to support the commercial business case. At this point, it is necessary, or at least good practice (depending on jurisdiction), for governments to apply the European Commission broadband State-aid guidelines to develop publicly funded broadband intervention schemes in their respective countries with the aim of achieving Digital Decade targets of 100% coverage of Very High Capacity Networks (VHCN) by 2030. These schemes should reflect the guidelines’ rules including technology neutrality, wholesale services, and least intervention necessary. In addition, and crucially, the foundation for any broadband intervention scheme needs to be based on a carefully considered government approach to delivery. Policy makers need to consider a wide range of issues including local market conditions and operator strategies, the local regulatory environment, investor perspective, different technology capabilities that will influence technical specifications and service level requirements, amongst many other factors. This perspective will identify critical success factors and highlight experience from broadband intervention schemes that have led to high levels of FTTH coverage.