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June 2026 Edition

- News from our members

- Telecom Digest:

BCO Network maps Europe’s broadband and 5G priorities
UK full fibre coverage reaches 82% of homes
France’s digital infrastructure boom links fibre maturity with rising data-centre power demand
Poland’s KPO broadband rollout passes 294.000 premises
BEREC prepares assessment of the Digital Networks Act

- Next events from the FTTH Council Europe

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

How Agentic AI Accelerates Fiber Network Deployment

This article explores how agentic AI can help fiber network operators manage growing deployment complexity by improving coordination, surfacing operational insights, and automating repetitive workflows. It examines how AI may accelerate FTTH projects while supporting scale, efficiency, and visibility across deployment teams.

FTTH fiber: why fast download and upload make the difference every day

FTTH fiber and symmetrical connectivity are transforming the way we work, stream, game, and share data every day. Discover why fast upload speeds are now just as important as download performance in the cloud era. Find out more on Open Fiber’s website.

Copper’s tipping point: How AI, data centers, and energy demand are accelerating

Europe is nearing a tipping point—not due to copper’s decline, but surging demand from AI, electrification, and renewables. Built for voice and passive use, copper can’t meet today’s needs. Fiber now underpins AI, cloud, and real-time connectivity. This blog explores why the switch-off is happening now.

Hollow Core: Why Ultra-Low Latency Comes With Ultra-High Stakes

Hollow core fiber promises record-low latency but a single unsealed break can contaminate up to 12 metres per hour. With cable costs reaching $300/m, an undetected fault doesn't just degrade performance; it could compound into a multi-million dollar replacement event. So how should you plan HCF your deployments?

Combining performance and sustainability in FTTx infrastructures

As demand for sustainable FTTx networks grows, microduct connectors are evolving to combine performance and lower environmental impact. Bio-based materials, metal-free design, UV resistance, reduced CO₂ emissions and certified carbon footprint contribute to more sustainable and durable FTTx infrastructures. Read more here.

TELECOM DIGEST

BCO Network maps Europe’s broadband and 5G priorities

Europe’s Broadband Competence Offices are taking on a more central role in the delivery of EU connectivity policy, as public funding for broadband investment has grown from €6 billion to €16 billion. The BCO Network Activity Report 2025–2026 sets out how national and regional offices are supporting public authorities with broadband planning, State aid schemes and implementation on the ground. The report brings together several files now shaping the infrastructure agenda, from the Gigabit Infrastructure Act and infrastructure sharing to backbone capacity for data centres and the Digital Networks Act debate. Progress towards several 2030 connectivity targets is visible, but rural and remote areas remain harder to serve, while the renewed investment need for standalone 5G adds pressure beyond what had been planned for fibre rollout.

UK full fibre coverage reaches 82% of homes

The UK’s fixed broadband market is entering a more mature fibre phase. Ofcom’s Spring 2026 Connected Nations update shows that full fibre now reaches 82% of UK homes, while gigabit-capable broadband availability has risen to 89%. The coverage figures sit alongside a flatter market picture: based on Point Topic analysis, total retail and wholesale fixed broadband connections reached 29,36 million in Q1 2026, with only 13.800 net additions. Full fibre connections increased by 775.000 during the quarter to 13,19 million, up 32,7% year on year, as migration from copper-based broadband continued.

France’s digital infrastructure boom links fibre maturity with rising data-centre power demand

ARCEP’s 2026 survey on sustainable digital infrastructure finds that electricity consumption by data centres in France continues to rise, despite improvements in energy efficiency. Surveyed data centres consumed 2,7 TWh in 2024, up 12% in one year, with activity highly concentrated in Île-de-France. The figures show how data-centre growth is becoming part of the wider connectivity debate, as digital capacity, backbone infrastructure and territorial planning become increasingly interdependent.

Meanwhile, Arcep’s latest Telconomics overview also revelealed that, fibre subscriptions reached 27,1 million by the end of 2025, accounting for 82% of the country’s 33 million internet subscriptions and continuing to replace DSL at scale. The same data points to a more mature investment cycle: telecom investment fell for the fourth consecutive year, down 15% in 2025, while still remaining 1,5 times above pre-2015 levels, before fibre deployment accelerated. New premises passed for FTTH also slowed to 1,8 million in 2025, compared with 2,6 million in 2024, as large-scale deployment reaches completion in several territories.

Poland’s KPO broadband rollout passes 294.000 premises

Poland’s KPO broadband rollout has reached 294.102 completed residential premises, according to SIMBA monitoring data shared by the Project Centre Digital Poland. The figure shows progress in extending very high-speed internet access under the National Recovery and Resilience Programme, while also underlining the pressure on operators to accelerate delivery. A separate CPPC update confirms that further extensions after August 2026 depend on reaching 521.000 premises within network coverage by the end of August.

BEREC prepares assessment of the Digital Networks Act

BEREC will present its latest assessment of the Digital Networks Act proposal at a public debriefing on 10 June 2026, following its 67th plenary meetings. The discussion will give stakeholders a clearer view of how national regulators are reading the proposed evolution of the EU telecom framework. The agenda will also include a newly launched consultation on draft guidance for 5G network slicing, adding a further regulatory layer to the debate on future network management.

NEXT EVENTS

Francesco Nonno, President of the FTTH Council Europe, will participate in the session “Delivering Europe’s connectivity ambitions” at Cullen International’s 40th anniversary conference, “Better regulation for a better world?”, taking place in Brussels on 23 June 2026.

The session will address whether the upcoming Digital Networks Act is fit for an era shaped by fibre, 5/6G and satellite connectivity. President Nonno will join representatives from the European Parliament, BEREC, Connect Europe and AWS to discuss how Europe can translate its connectivity ambitions into a more competitive and future-ready digital infrastructure.

The conference will bring together regulators, policymakers, industry leaders and international partners to reflect on the role of regulation in shaping Europe’s digital future. Register and follow the discussion on the regulatory choices that will define the next phase of Europe’s connectivity agenda.

Building on the momentum and achievements of Amsterdam, the 2027 edition of the FTTH Conference will deliver an even more dynamic programme, valuable networking opportunities, and in-depth discussions on the future of digital infrastructure, innovation, and full-fibre deployment.

Save the date and stay tuned for upcoming announcements, speaker updates, and event highlights.

#FibreHorizon is the FTTH Council Europe's monthly selection

of digital and fibre-related news.

For more information, check our website or contact us.

About Us

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.

The FTTH Council Europe consists of more than 170 member companies.

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