Market research firm Ovum and the FTTH Council Asia-Pacific say that the number of customers receiving broadband services via fiber to the home (FTTH) networks in the Asia-Pacific region has reached 100 million.
The milestone puts FTTH subscribes in the region at nearly 10X the level of North America. There are 12.3 million homes connected via FTTH in North America, 10.9 million of those in the United States, according to figures the FTTH Council North America released in October.
"Asia-Pacific is leading the world in FTTH subscribers, and this is a major milestone which represents a tremendous financial investment and a strong understanding of the future of networking infrastructure," said Julie Kunstler, principal analyst at Ovum. "It reflects the growth of content and the continuous demand for content.
"This region also reflects a wide range of deployment models – from strong government goals to innovative wholesale-retail models to crossing the digital divide with support for e-health and e-education in rural regions," Kunstler added. "In addition this major milestone was achieved through innovative solutions from fiber cabling suppliers along with component and equipment vendors."
The FTTH Council Asia-Pacific, which will celebrate its 10th birthday next year, also took some credit.
"This achievement is the result of hard work carried out by all council parties, especially the board of directors who have gone beyond the call of duty in order to promote FTTH and the great benefits it can bring," said Dr. Bernard Lee, president of the FTTH Council Asia-Pacific. "When network operators in Asia-Pacific deploy FTTH they know that they will always have the FTTH Council standing by and we are extremely proud to have played a part in reaching such a significant milestone."
Added Hasan Munasir Choudhury, the council's general manager, "This achievement emphasizes the importance of the council’s work and we remain committed to ensuring operators have the resources and confidence to deploy the technology in a way that makes it accessible to all businesses and individuals."
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.
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