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NOVEMBER 2024 EDITION

- Latest news from our Members

- Telecom digest:

European Commission launches €323M CEF digital funding to boost quantum, 5G, and global connectivity
UK allocates £500 million for Project Gigabit
Italy moves to enforce 'Fair Share' contributions from Big Tech for telecom infrastructure development
Altice workers push government to block strategic asset sale warning of risks to jobs and national interests
Starlink seeks to 1Gb/s speeds with Next-Gen satellites and expanded spectrum to boost global broadband
Dutch Government rejects broadband subsidies for remote areas and suggests wireless solutions as alternative
Poland's National Broadband Programme is behind schedule and the 2025 goals are in risk
Belgian telecom operators to compensate customers for service outages over 8 hours

- Next events from the FTTH Council Europe

In this interview, Trimble's Senior Vertical Markets Manager, Ronald Van Coevorden, discusses the critical role of fibre optic networks in bridging the digital divide, particularly in rural areas. He explains how geospatial solutions are instrumental in improving infrastructure and internet availability in underserved regions. As consumer demand for faster, more reliable internet grows, Van Coevorden highlights how technology companies can play a vital role in the ongoing deployment and maintenance of fibre infrastructure. He also sheds light on the value of mobile mapping data in providing better insights for FTTH projects
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Read the full interview to learn more about these innovative solutions and their impact on closing the digital gap.

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Fiber accountability made clear: Today’s fiber rollouts, under public or investor scrutiny, demand reliable homes-passed counts, verified circuit quality, and precise endpoint data. Discover how remote fiber testing and monitoring (RFTM) provides transparency and ensures every investment dollar counts. Read the full story on EXFO’s blog.

Connect Fibre: Creating a single source of network truth IQGeo supports Connect Fibre with their fiber network operations, providing them with a robust Physical Network Inventory system. Connect Fibre highlights IQGeo's system's flexibility and customizability as its biggest strengths, allowing them to tailor their network operations to meet their unique needs and challenges.

In the second edition of the Wholesale Spain Forum, Onivia and Nae reveal broadband performance gaps: Urban download speeds are up to 15% higher, while rural areas experience up to 10% more latency. Wi-Fi 4 use is nearly double in rural areas (21%) compared to urban (12%), impacting connection quality. See more insights in the full report.

Fiber optics is increasingly the pillar of a sustainable mobility system, as it contributes to the digitalization of transport networks, improving infrastructure safety and enabling new services for public transport: from predictive management of traffic flows to remote monitoring of electric charging stations. Learn more on the Open Fiber website.

This White Paper from Setics explores various methods of cost analysis for network projects and highlights which approaches are most appropriate based on different scenarios, such as grant applications, hybrid builds, or prioritising rollout strategies, and identifies strategies for optimising investment.

TELECOM DIGEST

European Commission launches €323m CEF digital funding to boost quantum, 5G, and global connectivity

Under the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Commission has opened new funding and is conducting an online webinar to promote the initiative. Applications are due by February 13, 2025, for a total of €323M in the CEF Digital round. The primary emphasis is on the advancement of quantum communication, 5G networks, and backbone connectivity. The Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways call has a total available budget of €128m, which is intended to facilitate the development of new backbone connections, primarily through submarine and terrestrial cables, through research and other activities. These new connections are anticipated to enhance the resilience of internet networks throughout the EU, with a particular emphasis on sparsely populated areas, remote and peripheral regions, islands, and third countries. An additional €105 million is available for 5G Large-Scale Pilots. The objective is to capitalise on the potential of 5G standalone networks for innovative applications, including connected vehicles, smart cities, and transportation corridors. The European Quantum Communication Infrastructures (EuroQCI) initiative receives the remaining €90 million. The recipients are anticipated to construct connections between the EuroQCI's ground and space segments and contribute to the interconnection of national quantum communication infrastructure across EU borders.

UK allocates £500 million for Project Gigabit

The UK government has announced a £20,4 billion (approximately €23,5 billion) investment in research and development (R&D) for 2025, with a major focus on enhancing economic growth through technological innovation. As part of this initiative, £500 million (about €578 million) will be allocated to Project Gigabit, which aims to extend high-speed broadband coverage to underserved areas of the UK. The funding will support the government’s goal of providing full gigabit internet access by 2030, ensuring equitable access to digital services for all communities, particularly those in rural or remote locations.

Italy moves to enforce 'Fair Share' contributions from Big Tech fro telecom infrastructure development

Industry Minister Adolfo Urso reportedly announced on Monday that Italy is in the process of implementing measures to ensure that Big Tech companies contribute to the development of telecommunications infrastructure in the country. According to telecommunications companies, the high-speed network expansion costs should be shared by Alphabet's Google, Meta's Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, as they account for a significant portion of internet traffic. DT, Orange, Telefonica, and Telecom Italia refer to it as fair-share funding, while Big Tech characterises it as an internet levy. "We are collectively addressing this matter." Urso informed reporters on the sidelines of an event in Milan that it is crucial that we continue in this direction. "It makes good sense for big tech to contribute to the workload that is then entrusted to the large telecommunications networks," according to him. The remuneration of telco operators should be negotiated by Big Tech in accordance with technical and economic conditions, according to proposals presented by several ruling legislators in parliament. An amendment by Andrea Dara, a member of the League party, stated that our proposal is designed to "incorporate a contribution from online platforms, very large online search engines, and gatekeeper services to support investments in electronic communications networks." The initiative is essentially consistent with the previous initiatives that were established at the EC level prior to the elections in June of last year, which secured a second mandate for EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

Altice workers push government to block strategic asset sale warning of risks to jobs and national interests

The Altice Group Workers' Union in Portugal (STPT) has reportedly once again petitioned the Prime Minister and the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing to intervene in the sale of Altice Portugal assets. "At this time, there is a considerable probability that the Altice Portugal Group's various assets, including FastFiber, will be sold independently. STPT is concerned that the sale of Altice Portugal, whether or not at retail, will take place, since it is a strategic asset for the country and thus subject to the Council of Ministers' right of opposition, as stipulated by Decree-Law No. 138/14," Altice employees emphasise. On the contrary, they express concern that "the group in Portugal directly employs more than six thousand workers who could see their working conditions affected as a result of the sale in question" . Workers at Altice also believe that the governmental bodies ACT, Anacom, and the Competition Authority have supervisory authority over the sales process.

Starlink seeks to 1Gb/s speeds with Next-Gen satellites and expanded spectrum to boost global broadband

Starlink, a provider of ultrafast broadband via low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, has confirmed its goal to reach gigabit (1Gb/s+) speeds. SpaceX recently submitted a request to the FCC for updates to its second-generation (v2) satellites, which would involve lowering the satellites' orbit from 525–535 km to 480–475 km and expanding their use of E-band radio spectrum (71–74 GHz downlink and 81–84 GHz uplink). The Starlink network currently has 6.458 satellites in orbit, mostly at altitudes between 500 and 600 km, with 2.200 being v2 Mini/GEN 2A models. Plans are in place to launch thousands more by 2027. In the UK, customers generally pay £75 (around €87) per month for a 30-day term, plus £299 (€347) for hardware on the "Standard" plan. This plan guarantees 25–60 ms latency, 25–100 Mb/s download speeds, and 5–10 Mb/s upload speeds. By the end of 2023, approximately 42.000 of Starlink's 2,3 million clients were based in the UK, up from 13.000 in 2022, contributing to the company's current global user base of 4 million. The median download speed in the UK is about 90,7 Mb/s, with peak speeds between 200 and 300 Mb/s.

Dutch Government rejects broadband subsidies for remote areas and suggests wireless solutions as alternative

The new Dutch government will not grant subsidies for connecting remote addresses to fast fixed broadband internet, according to Minister of Economic Affairs Dirk Beljaarts' letter to parliament. The minister said that the Netherlands faces numerous obstacles, and that wireless technology can offer less expensive alternatives to costly fibre rollouts in isolated and rural locations. Despite market advances and the widespread availability of fast fixed internet connections, connectivity for some Dutch homes in distant areas is still questionable, particularly in the provinces of Zeeland and Groningen. By the end of 2023, 9,4% of Dutch households had a fixed internet connection of at least 100Mb/s, with 98,8% able to access 1Gb/s. The previous cabinet had said that all families should have a fixed connection of at least 100Mb/s by the end of 2023, but the aim was not met. The previous cabinet predicted that €160 million would be required to link 19.000 addresses in distant locations to fast broadband internet. Locations in remote areas that still rely on internet cables with speeds less than 30Mb/s can use available wireless options like Odido and KPN, or satellite internet from Starlink.

Poland's National Broadband Programme is behind schedule and the 2025 goals are at risk

The Supreme Audit Office has reported that Poland's National Broadband Programme is behind schedule and there is a risk that further goals set for 2025 won't be achieved. The report also highlighted the failure of telecommunications regulator UKE and Digital Poland project centre. The Audit Office also evaluated 11 entities, including the Ministry of Digitisation. The programme's goals were to provide fixed broadband to 50% of households by 2020 and 100 Mb/s by 2025. By 2022, 88% of households had access to fixed broadband, while 5G services were not fully launched in all cities.

Belgian telecom operators to compensate customers for service outages over 8 hours

Starting November 1, Belgian telecom operators must compensate customers if their internet or telephony services are down for eight hours or more, according to electronic communications law proposed by the government in May 2023. Operators will subsequently be required to pay at least EUR 1 per day or provide a complimentary film. After 24 hours, an extra EUR 1 will be charged, plus EUR 0.50 for each day the interruption lasts. The arrangement will apply to disruptions that are not caused by a force majeure incident. The exact compensation will be determined by the customer's subscription, and the amount will be automatically deposited to their account.

NEXT EVENTS

Join GRIDSZ for this insightful webinar, which will delve into strategies for accelerating ROI in fibre rollouts, featuring success stories from Open Dutch Fiber and SPIE.
Attendees will gain valuable insights into maintaining data integrity, optimizing processes, and enhancing the customer journey to speed up the transition from homes passed to homes activated.

Whether you're a network owner, ISP, or contractor, this session will equip you with actionable strategies to optimize your rollout and achieve sustainable ROI.
Don’t miss the chance and secure your spot now.

Save the date for the next edition of Europe’s leading fibre summit, taking place in Amsterdam on 25-27 March 2025. Let’s stay connected: we will soon provide you with more information about the Conference. Keep following us on our social media channels below and our official website to stay up to date.

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The FTTH Council Europe is an industry organisation with a mission to advance ubiquitous full fibre-based connectivity to the whole of Europe.

Our vision is that fibre connectivity will transform and enhance the way we live, do business and interact, connecting everyone and everything, everywhere. Fibre is the future-proof, climate-friendly infrastructure which is a crucial prerequisite for safeguarding Europe’s global competitiveness while playing a leading global role in sustainability.

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