USA - Broadband Market - Fibre to the Home (FttH) Overview, Statistics & Forecasts

Synopsis

Years of unrealised fibre projects have left the USA trailing far behind Asia in the deployment of FttH networks. However, the USA is finally starting to witness a more concerted fibre deployment effort. Led by Verizon, the RBOCs are committing billions of dollars to building fibre networks. Verizon has adopted FttH, whilst AT&T has elected to pursue primarily FttN with FttH for new developments and multiple dwelling units. In addition, CLECs and municipalities continue to play an important role in FttH deployments. In the year to September 2008 the number of fibred homes continued its triple digit year-over-year growth rate, with the number of homes passed by FttH approaching fourteen million, or over 10% of all households. FttH growth, in particular Greenfield deployments, has been partly constrained by the 2007/08 residential building collapse, but is expected to accelerate strongly when the housing market recovers. Over the next 10 years, the USA could catch up with Asia in FttH deployments. This report provides an overview of FttH and other fibre network developments, including details of the major fibre deployments and key market statistics and forecasts.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH)
  
  • 2.1 Overview
    
  • 2.2 FttH network rollout
    
  • 2.3 Forecasts
    
• 3. Policy and regulation framework
  
  • 3.1 Federal policy
    
  • 3.2 Network regulation
    
  • 3.3 Video franchise rules
    
• 4. Choice of FttX technology
  
  • 4.1 Why fibre?
    
  • 4.2 FttN
    
  • 4.3 FttC
    
  • 4.4 FttH/FttP
    
  • 4.5 Which FTTx?
    
• 5. Non-RBOC FttH networks
  
• 6. RBOC FttH roll-out
  
  • 6.1 Verizon
    
  • 6.2 AT&T
    
    • 6.2.1 BellSouth (historical)
      
  • 6.3 Qwest
    
• 7. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – FttH homes passed and connected – 2001 - 2008
• Table 2 – FttH Video homes connected – 2001 - 2008
• Table 3 – Forecast homes passed by fibre – high growth scenario – 2009 - 2015
• Table 4 – Forecast homes passed by fibre – low growth scenario – 2009 - 2015
• Table 5 – FttH market share by type of provider – 2006 - 2008
• Table 6 – Non-RBOC and overall FttH take-up rates – 2002 - 2008

• Exhibit 1 – Status of RBOC fibre network build out – September 2008
• Exhibit 2 – Examples of non-RBOC FttH networks