G-20 need to speed up on Fibre to the Home

While Fibre to the Home deployments continue to grow worldwide in many economies, the G-20 states lag behind. Just seven of them made it into the latest FTTH/B Ranking of the Global FTTH Councils.

LISBON – 26 February 2010 – FTTH continues its triumphant success around the world. More than 6 million new subscribers were added just in the second half of 2009. South Korea, number one in the Global Ranking of FTTH/B economies, is the first country in the world where more than 50% of households are using FTTH/B connections.

For the first time, the FTTH Councils presented a Global Ranking of the G-20 states. This new chart reveals that only 7 of the “leading economies of the world” are progressing on the deployments of FTTH/B, the only future-proof telecommunication infrastructure that can meet the bandwidth demands of the economy and society. While North America and the Asian economies seem to head in the right direction, Europe does not figure in the Ranking, although France and Italy both have reached the threshold of 1% of households connected to FTTH/B.

The latest update to the FTTH/B Global Ranking, jointly issued by the three FTTH Councils of Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, was presented at the prestigious FTTH Conference in Lisbon yesterday, with 23 countries1 qualifying for the FTTH/B Ranking at the end of December 2009.

The top five Global economies in terms of the total number of subscribers are Japan, China, South Korea, USA and Taiwan. These five countries represent more than 90% of all FTTH/B subscribers in the Global Ranking! They also have in common that they are the only countries in the Global Ranking with more than one million households connected to FTTH/B.

“We welcome the latest update of the Global Ranking with mixed feelings”, comments Karel Helsen, President of the FTTH Council Europe, “On one hand, we are happy to see European newcomers like Portugal, Bulgaria and Czech Republic in the Ranking, and of course France, one of the European G-20 states. On the other hand, the new G-20 Ranking shows that countries such as Germany and UK, and of course the European Union as a whole are still lagging behind. Although too slow, Europe is heading in the right direction and the FTTH Council Europe will pursue its efforts to accelerate FTTH deployment in Europe.”

At the same time, the president of the FTTH Council Asia-Pacific, Y.K. Loke is very positive about the outcome of the new Global Ranking: “Despite the difficult economic climate, Asia Pacific continues to lead in the new Global Ranking with the top four positions”.

Positive comments also come from North America. “There is scarcely a wireline provider in North America that is not at least thinking about upgrading to fiber to the home, and more than 800 companies across the continent are now actually making the move to next-generation broadband,” said Joe Savage, President of the FTTH Council North America. “As the latest Ranking shows, this enormous interest in FTTH has propelled the U.S. to number three in market penetration among the G-20 countries. With Canadian telecoms beginning to move forward and companies like Google indicating that they want to build all-fiber networks, it’s just a matter of time before FTTH becomes the predominant access technology in North America.”

The next update of the FTTH Global Ranking, reflecting the status of fibre-connected households in June 2010, will be presented at the FTTH Council North America’s annual conference in Las Vegas, on 12-16 September 2010.

--------------------------------
1The FTTH Global Ranking is based on the FTTH Councils’ definition of FTTH/B: it includes both Fibre to the Home (FTTH), where the fibre connection reaches direct to the household, and Fibre to the Building (FTTB), where fibre terminates inside the boundary of a multi-tenant building. The Ranking covers all countries with at least 200,000 households where the penetration of FTTH/B has reached 1% of the total number of homes.

About The FTTH Council Europe:
The FTTH Council Europe is an industry organisation with a mission to accelerate the availability of fibre-based, ultra-high-speed access networks to consumers and businesses. The Council promotes this technology because it will deliver a flow of new services that enhances the quality of life, contributes to a better environment and increased competitiveness. The FTTH Council Europe consists of more than 130 member companies. Its members include leading telecommunications companies and many world leaders in the telecommunications industry.
MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.flexmail.be" claiming to be www.ftthcouncil.eu

About the FTTH Council Asia-Pacific:
The FTTH Council Asia-Pacific is a non-profit organization established in 2005. The organization is building on the success of its sister organizations in the US and Europe to educate the industry and the general public on the opportunities and benefits of FTTH solutions. FTTH Council Asia-Pacific members represent all areas of broadband industries, including telecommunications, computing, networking, system integration, engineering and content-provider companies, as well as traditional telecommunications service providers, utilities and municipalities.
MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.flexmail.be" claiming to be www.ftthcouncilap.org

About the FTTH Council North America:
Now in its eighth year, the Fiber-to-the-Home Council is a non-profit organization established to help its members plan, market, implement and manage FTTH solutions. Council membership includes municipalities, utilities, developers, and traditional and non-traditional service providers, creating a cohesive group to share knowledge and build industry consensus on key issues surrounding fiber to the home. Communities and organizations interested in exploring FTTH options may find information on the FTTH Council web site at MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.flexmail.be" claiming to be www.ftthcouncil.org

For more information contact:

FTTH Council Europe:
Nadia Babaali
+33-6 20 88 72 38
Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

FTTH Council Asia-Pacific:
Secretariat
Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

FTTH Council North America:
David St. John
+1-315 849 3800
Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.