Insight Report: Converging Infrastructure 25
A full-fibre cure for Europe? As full-fibre deployments recover from lockdown disruption, FTTH market fundamentals look healthy, but challenges remain for network rollout and customer take-up, writes Michelle Donegan.
T
he Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown that highspeed broadband connectivity is vital for the economy, society and our day-to-day lives. In Europe, despite some deployment delays, fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) rollouts are starting to recover from the disruption of the pandemic and the com-
mitment to full fibre remains strong. Between February and May this year, at the height of lockdowns in Europe, FTTH deployments were largely disrupted as operators prioritised the safety of their workers, connectivity for healthcare workers, and critical maintenance to keep networks and services up and running. The impact varied – anywhere from a 20% reduction in deployment
activity to a nearly full stop in some countries, according to Roland Montagne, Principal Analyst, IDATE, who is assessing the effect of the pandemic on the market. “The recovery is now taking place in terms of deployment, but because of all the caution needed for cleaning and [social] distancing, it’s taking more time to deploy FTTH, especially when the technicians are working in the same
Issue Q3 2020 • www.mobileeurope.co.uk
