FTTH to reach more than 300 million European homes by 2026

Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) is being deployed at a ‘rapid pace’ in Europe, according to a new report.

New forecasts from the FTTH Council Europe predict that 302 million homes will be connected with fibre tech by 2026 across 39 countries. Of that, 197 million will be from the 27 EU countries and the UK. 

This represents a 67% increase in fibre connectivity compared to 2021. Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy are set to experience the most significant amount of growth.

The report goes on to note that the number of subscribers is set to reach 135 million in 2026 for the EU27+UK and 197 million for EU39. By 2026, the FTTH/B take-up rate for EU27+UK will be slightly higher (68.7%) than for EU39 (65.3%),

The significant growth is attributed largely to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to more data traffic and investment in FTTH deployment projects. New European targets for 2025 and 2030 will also lead to acceleration.

Vincent Garnier, Director General of the FTTH Council Europe, said: “This trend will be intensified by new usage patterns which are encouraging operators to migrate to FTTH solutions, capable of delivering new services while contributing to the sustainability challenge. The report shows there is still a massive growth potential in terms of connectivity in many EU countries, but overall deployment is progressing at a rapid pace. 

“However, even with the infrastructure in place, the FTTH Council Europe considers that there is still a long way to go to reach a fully digitised society. We strongly believe that to embrace the next digital decade and shape Europe’s digital transformation by 2030, take-up is the next challenge, and we call on policy-makers to take the necessary measures for end-users to benefit from the world of new possibilities offered by full-fibre connectivity.”