ELLEN MANNING FTTH ROLLOUT
on legacy infrastructure - something not unique to the UK - he said a shift in policy to focus on full-fibre networks had “changed the picture”. Even Brexit has helped, he suggested. “I think in a sense, whatever your view of Brexit is, one thing it has done is focus government on the need to ensure that we have the right sort of infrastructure - all types of infrastructure - to enable us to be fit for purpose in a competitive economy and that includes digital infrastructure.” UK TO TAKE LEAD? Citing IDATE’s predictions, Corbett: “By 2025 the UK should leapfrog most of the other members of the FTTH council and most of the other countries in Europe and get near to the top. So if everything works out as intended then we will see a very significant change with at least 50% of premises in the country having access to full fibre connections and the bandwidth and services that go with that. In reality there’s an awful lot of stuff that’s got to be fixed and done to make that happen, but that’s the driver.” But when it comes to the future of fibre rollouts in the UK, there are still hurdles to get over. For Evan Wienburg, CEO of independent service provider Truespeed, things aren’t moving quickly enough. “Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2019 report, released in December, paints a sobering picture of UK full fibre deployments. While it’s encouraging to see that full fibre broadband coverage in the UK has risen 4 percentage points over the past 12 months to 10% of UK Like Corbett and other commentators, he wants to see commitment and action from both government and regulator - including addressing the issue of overbuilding in certain areas. “We are definitely encouraged by the new government’s commitment to ‘get full fibre done’ - to coin a phrase,” he said. “But how do they plan to accelerate roll outs? We urgently need the government to commit to aligning with infrastructure providers if we are to meet the ambition of introducing full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business across the UK by 2025. As an industry we are definitely moving the needle, but there is much more work to be done to accelerate full fibre rollouts and make gigabit-capable connectivity ubiquitous across the UK.” EVAN WIENBURG CEO, TRUESPEED premises, it’s clear that as a nation we are not moving fast enough to cement our digital economy’s future.”
didn’t “properly understand the benefits of Full Fibre versus metallic-based alternatives”. But on the flip side, he said consumers are more aware than ever of the important elements of broadband and would not “tolerate inferior services”. Asked whether Europe is making good progress towards full fibre despite the challenges, the FTTH Council Europe told Optical Connections Magazine that while deployment had “accelerated significantly over the last few years”, the continent still needed to step up its efforts to build full fibre-based Very High Capacity Networks everywhere. It called for a practical legislative framework that cuts red tape and effectively ensures that fibre can be built swiftly, saying: “In order for the industry and investor communities to deliver fibre networks, there is a vital need for a high-level political commitment to full-fibre infrastructure. Moreover, it is of utmost importance to ensure that the regulatory and legislative framework promotes efficient competitive fibre investments and introduces practical measures aimed at facilitating an efficient and swift fibre deployment both in cities and in remote areas.” But the picture isn’t quite as simple as Europe vs the US. Within Europe, countries are set to undergo a shift in who’s leading the race to full fibre. While IDATE’s forecasts suggested that Russia would continue to lead the ranking for FTTH/B homes passed in 2020 and 2025, it also predicted that the UK would catch up with other countries and is set to become second in the ranking in 2025 - in the FTTH Council’s words, the UK and Germany are likely to “skyrocket” from the bottom to advanced positions in the ranking. For Malcolm Corbett, CEO of the UK’s Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), while it may have lagged behind in the past, the UK’s fibre future is promising. “There’s an awful lot happening
technologies in driving economic growth, social interaction, and political engagement. Now we know that deploying all-fibre networks to most parts of the country within the next decade is feasible.”
LISA R. YOUNGERS PRESIDENT AND CEO, FIBER BROADBAND ASSOCIATION
The view that all-fibre networks are vital for economic growth as well as social equality isn’t isolated to America. In Europe, FTTx rollouts continue apace, with providers and governments recognising that investment is the only way to cope with growing demand and futureproof networks for years to come. Market Panorama and Forecast data gathered by IDATE on behalf of the FTTH Council Europe and revealed at last year’s FTTH Conference showed that FTTH/B coverage had reached 36.4%, with a 21% increase in subscribers. The data - which will be updated at this year’s FTTH conference in Berlin - found that the deployment of both FTTH and FTTB networks had increased significantly, noting a ‘clear upward trend’ in coverage rate from September 2015 to September 2018. The report also found that fibre technologies had evolved, with a predominance of FTTH architecture over FTTB, and noted that governments and local authorities were getting more involved in fibre projects, while incumbents in some countries had modified their strategy to deploy FTTH solutions instead of continuing to rely on legacy copper-based or cable-based networks. ACCELLERATINGMOMENTUM At the time of the report, then FTTH Council president Ronan Kelly said the figures showed “a momentum that is accelerating”, saying: “Full fibre is the way forward and the results of the Market Panorama provide compelling evidence of this.” The prediction that such growth would continue doesn’t appear to have been empty words. Only in December, Orange sealed a US$700m
in the UK. There’s a lot of investment coming in to build new fibre networks, a lot of new entrants and undoubtedly there will be a process of consolidation over time.”
loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance part of the deployment of its Very High-Speed Broadband fibre network in France in AMII (Appel à Manifestation d’Intentions d’Investissements).
MALCOLM CORBETT CEO, INCA
RONAN KELLY FORMER FTTH COUNCIL PRESIDENT
When it comes to achieving the UK government’s target of making gigabit connections available to everybody by 2025, a lot of challenges will lie around the market itself and what the government and telecoms regulator Ofcom does to facilitate more deployment. Attributing the UK’s current position to a decision to rely
Yet there are still barriers. Kelly previously cited misleading advertising a challenge to fibre rollouts in Europe, saying he was worried that watchdogs - like consumers -
12
| ISSUE 20 | Q1 2020
www.opticalconnectionsnews.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator