FTTH Council Europe unveils FTTH/B Market Panorama
March 20, 2024
As part of the programme of the FTTH Conference 2024 in Berlin, the FTTH Council Europe has revealed several market reports outlining the latest figures on fibre deployment trends in Europe: the European FTTH/B Market Panorama 2024, the FTTH/B Global Ranking 2024, the FTTH/B Forecasts for 2023-2029, and the updated report on FTTH/B in Rural Areas, prepared by IDATE. All reports are based on the latest available data from September 2023.
In addition, the FTTH Council Europe presented an update to its FTTH/B Investments Tracker report and the new FTTH/B Market Sentiment Survey, initiatives of its Sustainability Committee, as well as the new white paper FTTH Council Carbon Footprint Project: a Reporting Model for the Entire Sector, produced by the Sustainability Committee
FTTH/B Market Panorama 2024
The total number of homes passed with FTTH and FTTB in the EU39 reached 244 million homes in September 2023, compared to nearly 219 million in September 2022. The main movers in terms of homes passed in absolute numbers are the United Kingdom (+4.7 million), Germany (+4.4 million), and France (+2.5 million). The top 5 of the annual growth rates in terms of homes passed are headed by Belgium (+43 per cent), the United Kingdom (+38 per cent), Germany (+37 per cent), Serbia (+30 per cent), and Croatia (+28 per cent). FTTH/B coverage rate in EU39 now amounts to 69.9 per cent (up by 6.5 percentage points vs 2022) and coverage rate in the EU27+UK now reaches 64.5 per cent (vs 55.1 per cent from 2022).
The number of FTTH and FTTB subscribers in the EU39 region reached 121 million. The 5 fastest growing markets in terms of new subscribers were France (+3.4 million), United Kingdom (+1.8 million), Turkey (+1 million), Spain (+985 K), and Italy (+919 K).
By September 2023, the EU39 FTTH/B take-up rate raised to 49.6 per cent (up by 1,1 percentage point from the previous year). A clear indication that, despite the progress being made, there is still a huge gap between fibre coverage and adoption. Nevertheless, progress has been made in the EU27+UK area, where the take-up rate grew up by 1.3 percentage points compared to 2022, reaching 52,7 per cent in 2023.
FTTH/B Global Ranking 2024
21 countries have achieved penetration rates higher than 50 per cent. The UAE leads the ranking with 99.3 per cent, while Singapore positions itself second at 97.1 per cent. Hong Kong (95.3 per cent), China (92.9 per cent), and South Korea (91.5 per cent) complete the top 5 positions. In the European region, a new leader tops the leaderboard, as Spain is now the country with the highest penetration rate (78.9 per cent), surpassing Iceland (75.2 per cent), which previously had kept the primate for four consecutive years in a row.
FTTH/B Forecasts for Europe 2023-2029
The data foresees around 215 million homes passed for FTTH/B in 2029 in EU27+UK and 312 million homes passed in the EU39 region. It is expected that the top 3 countries in terms of homes passed will be Germany (38.6 million), France (33.3 million), and United Kingdom (29.6 million). According to the forecasts, the number of subscribers is expected to reach 144 million in EU27+UK and 201 million in the EU39 region, with take-up rates expected to reach 67 per cent and 64 per cent in the EU27+UK and EU39 regions respectively.
FTTH/B in Rural Areas 2024
Approximately 64 per cent of European households (EU27+UK) are covered by FTTH/B networks, with 48 per cent of rural inhabitants reached by full-fibre connectivity. Despite rural coverage catching up year-on-year, the study still reports a 16-point gap between national and rural coverage, compared to a 14-point difference in 2022. Nevertheless, the coverage of rural areas in EU27+UK is growing steadily, though at a very different pace among countries. The five countries with the highest rural FTTH/B coverage are Romania (92 per cent), Denmark (90 per cent), The Netherlands (83 per cent), Latvia (83 per cent), and Spain (79 per cent).
FTTH Investments in Europe – Market Sentiment Survey
Over the next three years, the majority of market participants to the newly introduced FTTH Investments in Europe – Market Sentiment Survey, by the Investors Committee of the FTTH Council Europe, anticipate moderate investment growth. The analysis, which serves as a strategic guide for industry leaders, policymakers, and investors to navigate the evolving terrain of fibre financing, will be performed biannually to address changes in the sentiment of industry players.
Investment Tracker – March 2024 Update
The report, produced by the Investors Committee and powered by Macquarie Capital, reveals a nearly 50 per cent reduction in financing volume in 2023, compared to the previous year. Despite this decline, the industry witnessed substantial investments, some exceeding €1 billion, underscoring its resilience. Currently, the swap rates are slightly lower than they were in the summer of 2023.
Whitepaper – FTTH Council Carbon Footprint Project: a Reporting Model for the Entire Sector
An initiative of the Sustainability Committee of the FTTH Council Europe, the white paper describes the FTTH Carbon Footprint Platform operational model and how the FTTH sector can jointly use this platform to respond to the ambitions and agreements towards decarbonization and Net-Zero, and the increasing regulations on ESG reporting, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The FTTH Council Europe’s Carbon Footprint Platform aims to ensure companies can use the same standardized methodology and enhance the quality of sustainability information available to investors and partners throughout the chain, as demanded by legislation and guidelines such as the CSRD. This approach also makes it possible to communicate the decarbonization of the entire FTTH sector and create synergies around greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation.