Europe urged to step up fibre-to-the-home rollouts

Chair of lobby group the FTTH Council Europe (FTTHCE) Chris Holden has urged Europe to step up its efforts to boost fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity.

He noted competition must be improved and marketing for superfast connections should be greater, resulting in more demand for 100Mbps rates, as at present people do not realise what they are missing out on.

"As you get technology improved you get the services improved that go with it. It's difficult to have the services improved if there's no capability of using them," he was quoted by Global Telecoms Business as saying.

Indeed, by rolling out FTTH across Europe - even to areas that are not presently calling for such services - competition could be significantly increased.

Furthermore, the FTTHCE recently claimed FTTH can be the perfect tool to breathe new life into rural communities.

It noted the delivery of super-fast broadband services helps shift service provision away from urban centres, making these rural areas more competitive and attractive.