In December 2019, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal with the ambition of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, boosting the economy, improving people's health and quality of life, caring for nature, and leaving no one behind.

Digitalisation will be at the core of this ambitious program and fibre is key to align the digital and sustainability agendas. As the most sustainable telecommunication infrastructure technology, full-fibre is a prerequisite to achieving the European Green Deal and making the European Union’s economy more sustainable.

The need to work collectively towards a more sustainable society has become a strategic objective of policy makers and the vast majority of private organisations alike. With this context in mind, the sustainability Working Group of the FTTH Council Europe has been created with two key objectives:

  • Promote full fibre as the most sustainable access network technology and enabler of multiple applications which can contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of our activities. Remote working and learning being the most obvious examples.
  • Support all stakeholders of the Fibre to the Home value chain in their efforts to make their respective activities more carbon neutral.

Insights from the Committee

 

 

FTTH Market Forecasts 2024-2030

On the occasion of the FTTH Conference 2025, the Market Intelligence Committee of the FTTH Council Europe launched the FTTH/B Market Forecasts 2024-2030, showcasing the evolution of FTTH/B coverage and adoption in the EU27+UK and EU39 areas for the next five years.

Compared to last year's report, the new forecasts predict an acceleration in subscriber growth and homes passed in both region (particularly in EU39).

In 2030, the data foresees 158 M of subscribers in EU27+UK and 221 M in EU39 region, with take-up rates experiencing steady growth in both regions. France leads with 32,3M of subscribers followed by United Kingdom with 22,4 M of subscribers.

According to the forecasts, the number of homes passed is expected to reach 225 M homes passed for FTTH/B in 2030 in EU27+UK and 329 M homes passed in the EU39 region. It is expected that the top 3 countries in terms of homes passed will be Germany (39,3 M), France (33,5 M), and United Kingdom (31 M).

The bandwidth limitations of current cable and copper networks are driving telecom players to deploy full-fibre solutions. Additionally, growing traffic demands are prompting operators to upgrade to full fiber to accommodate new peaks. Thanks to recently initiated national programs and Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) targets for 2025 & 2030, full-fibre connectivity in European countries will reach new heights.

To support the widespread adoption of FTTH networks, the implementation of Copper Switch Off plans will become increasingly necessary, driven by the growing awareness of full-fiber networks as the most sustainable network technology.

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