Opening Panel - FTTH deployment and adoption: Key drivers in CEE

The Central and Eastern European region is witnessing dynamic growth in fibre deployment, but accelerating rollouts and ensuring widespread adoption requires coordinated effort across operators, private investors, and public stakeholders. This opening panel brings together leading operators alongside public and private investors to share their strategies, experiences, and perspectives on building the region’s fibre future. Discussions explored investment models and funding mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, rural and urban deployment challenges, and opportunities for public–private collaboration. Attendees gained candid insights into how financial, regulatory, and technological drivers are shaping FTTH adoption in diverse CEE markets — and what is needed to deliver universal, future-ready fibre networks. Setting the tone for the Congress, this session provided a platform for open, solutions-focused dialogue on the path ahead.

Speakers: Yuriy Kurmaz - CEO at JSC Ukrtelecom / Maciej Nowohoński - Board Member in charge of Carriers Market and Real Estate Sales at Orange Polska / Ho-Shik Lim - Co-Head of TMT Investments at EBRD / Jeroen Kleinjan - Global Lead Telecom at ING 
Moderator: Vincent Garnier - Director General of the FTTH Council Europe