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

 

 

Open Access Committee Develops Strategic White Paper to Advance Fibre Market Sustainability

The Open Access Committee published a white paper in 2025 outlining five core principles of Open Access, establishing a shared industry understanding of what it means to operate as an Open Access player in a full-fibre world. This work moved beyond legacy copper-era wholesale models and defined the characteristics required for a sustainable, competitive fibre market.

Based on member feedback, the Committee identified four priority themes for deeper focus:

  • Levelling the playing field against vertically integrated incumbents

  • Establishing a clear Open Access framework and standards

  • Driving take-up and ensuring long-term commercial viability

  • Developing strategic responses to new competition and technology shifts

Building on this foundation, the Committee is now developing a follow-on white paper, provisionally titled:
“Open Access Strategy: Unlocking the Value of Open Access for All and Ensuring Investment Protection.”

This next phase moves from principles to strategy, examining how Open Access models can support network investment, stimulate service competition, and deliver sustainable outcomes for investors, operators, and end users. The Committee aims to publish in time for the FTTH Conference in April and is actively seeking input from operators, ISPs, vendors, and policymakers to shape the future of Open Access in Europe.

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