At the end of the FTTH Virtual Conference, organizers and premium partner aconium draw a positive balance. Due to the coronavirus, the world’s largest fiber optic summit once again took place in virtual space. In March 2022, however, the industry plans to meet again in person – in Vienna.
After two days of conference and trade fair program, the FTTH Virtual Conference came to an end on Thursday. For the second time in a row, the world’s largest fiber optic show could only take place virtually due to the coronavirus. As a premium partner, aconium supported the event organized by the FTTH Council Europe. For the seventh time, the leading digitalization service provider in Germany organized the “Governmental Day Workshop” on the first day of the event. Even though the representatives from technology, regulation, politics and financing were not able to meet face to face: This did not detract from the visitors’ interest in the dozens of workshops, presentations and conferences held by more than 150 experts. Vincent Garnier, Director General of the FTTH Council Europe, expressed his satisfaction: “The FTTH Virtual Conference 2021 brought together high-level representatives of the European FTTH ecosystem: from policy makers, regulators, operators and service providers to investors and technology providers. This success is also a testament to the unprecedented momentum in our industry.” aconium also gave presentations on the status of broadband funding in Germany. Numerous visitors also came to the digitalization service provider’s virtual trade fair stand.
Enormous growth expected until 2026 – rural areas remain a challenge
As part of the conference, the FTTH Council Europe published two new reports on the status and development of fiber optic coverage in Europe. According to the reports, around 302 million households on the continent (EU39) are expected to have FTTH/B access to ultra-fast internet by 2026. Just under 200 million of these will be in the EU27 plus the UK – an increase of 67% compared to 2021. The number of subscribers is expected to reach 135 million for the EU27 and the UK in 2026 (2021: 60 million) and 197 million for the EU39 (up from 99 million), while the take-up rate is expected to rise further to 68.7% (51.1%) and 65.3% (48.5%) respectively. Germany, the UK and Italy confirm their enormous growth potential, joined by the Netherlands. “The situation in Germany has attracted a lot of attention because it is the biggest market for the coming years,” said Vincent Garnier. “From this perspective, it was great to be able to count on aconium’s presence and expertise as a ‘supporting partner’.”
Reunion in Vienna in March 2022
After two virtual editions of the conference, the organizers are planning to hold the next industry meeting in person again. The next edition of the FTTH Conference is scheduled to take place in Vienna from March 29 to 31, 2022. Further information can be found at: www.ftthconference.eu