FTTH Rollouts

This publication has been discontinued on November 23, 2011.

Introduction

Abstract

For a greenfield FTTH rollout, civil engineering is by far the largest cost item.

Drawing on in-depth knowledge of FTTx cost models, IDATE examines solutions that can help bring down civil engineering costs, based on rollout experiences in the most advanced markets.

• What is civil engineering' s real weight in the equation?
• Is ensuring access to incumbent carriers' ducts the most promising solution?
• Can overhead deployment solutions used in the United States and Japan be adapted to Europe ?
• What are the advantages and drawbacks of lighter civil engineering solutions (e.g. micro-trenches)?
• Can local authorities help promote large-scale FTTH rollouts in the medium term?
• Does shared private investment have a future?

Table of Contents

1. FTTH business model: civil engineering' s weight in the equation

• 1.1. Structure of the FTTx model
• 1.2. Technical parameters
• 1.3. The weight of civil engineering in the equation
• 1.4. Housing structure: France vs. the UK

2. Duct sharing

• 2.1. Role played by the incumbent carrier
• 2.2. Technical and regulatory issues
• 2.3. Case studies
  • 2.3.1. Portugal
  • 2.3.2. France
  • 2.3.3. The Netherlands
  • 2.3.4. Canada
  • 2.3.5. Other OECD countries

3. Aerial deployments: a feasible solution?

• 3.1. Overhead fibre optic rollouts on electrical networks
  • 3.1.1. A host of parties involved
  • 3.1.2. Technical aspects
  • 3.1.3. Service lines
• 3.2. Overhead deployments on telecom and cable networks
• 3.3. Examples of aerial deployments

4. Role played by local authorities

• 4.1. Coordination of civil engineering works
• 4.2. Building open access networks
  • 4.2.1. The Swedish example
  • 4.2.2. Elsewhere in Europe...

5. Role played by infrastructure providers and progress made in civil engineering techniques

• 5.1. Innovative rollout procedures and techniques
  • 5.1.1. The micro-trench technique
  • 5.1.2. Deployment in non-visitable sewers
  • 5.1.3. Example of an innovative solution: Kerb-IT
• 5.2. Role played by infrastructure owners
  • 5.2.1. Reggefiber
  • 5.2.2. H2O Networks

6. Dark fibre: the Japanese example

7. Bitstream: an ideal solution for reducing alternative operators' civil engineering costs?

8. Last mile: who should pay?

Tables

• Table 1: The different types of player involved in FTTH
• Table 2: Size of micro-tubes (mm)

Figures

• Figure 1: Overall structure of the FTTx model
• Figure 2: Diagram of the FTTN + VDSL architecture chosen
• Figure 3: Ethernet point-to-point (P2P) technology
• Figure 4: GPON technology
• Figure 5: Cost per home passed of the three architectures in an urban setting
• Figure 6: Cost per home passed with GPON technology, according to housing structure
• Figure 7: Variations in the "civil engineering plus optical cable" cost item for a GPON rollout, according to population density (1) (EUR per home passed)
• Figure 8: Variations in the "civil engineering plus optical cable" cost item for a GPON rollout, according to number of apartment units per building (1) (EUR per home passed)
• Figure 9: Breakdown of the population by type of housing
• Figure 10: Operator duct: access chamber
• Figure 11: Example of the availability of France Telecom ducts in a neighbourhood in the city of Nice
• Figure 12: Duct shared by several operators
• Figure 13: Duct occupancy: GPON vs. Ethernet P2P
• Figure 14: Distance and height rules applied in France
• Figure 15: Regulation distances for shared support structures
• Figure 16: NTT branch system for FTTH facilities
• Figure 17: The Swedish example
• Figure 18: Chief advantages of micro-trenches
• Figure 19: Fibre optic deployment in a sewage network from an inspection pit
• Figure 20: The five stages of a deployment in a sewage network, using the EasyFiber process
• Figure 21: Connected Real Estate' s Kerb-IT solution
• Figure 22: Reggefiber footprint in the Netherlands
• Figure 23: Infrastructure sharing procedure in Japan
• Figure 24: Dark fibre access procedures in Japan
• Figure 25: New NTT tariffs for accessing fibre
• Figure 26: Alternative system requested by KDDI for accessing NTT splitters
• Figure 27: FTTH bitstream solution being examined in France
• Figure 28: Ofcom' s reasons for promoting an Ethernet Bitstream offer
• Figure 29: Estimated added value of an FTTH connection, according to households in the US

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