News NExsT 1 I 2024

CityFibre: full fibre broadband to 3m UK premises

Network operator CityFibre recently announced that their 10Gb/s capable full fibre broadband ISP network now covers 3m premises in the UK. That’s up from 2.5m in January 2023. CityFibre began building its access network in 2018, and aims to cover up to 8m premises across more than 285 cities, towns and villages by the end of 2035. “I’m delighted that thanks to our investment, 3m homes now have access to world class digital infrastructure and we look forward to connecting many more as our rollout progresses,” states Greg Mesch, CityFibre CEO.

Amazon Invests $5.88 bn in South Korean Cloud Computing

Amazon is set to invest some $5.88 bn in South Korea’s cloud computing infrastructure by 2027. Ham Kee-ho, the company’s local cloud computing division leader, stated that this substantial investment initiative aims to position South Korea as a global leader in internet-based cloud applications. South Korea is pioneering cloud innovation. The South Korean cloud computing market was valued at $3.0 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow significantly, reaching $6.9 billion by 2028. In addition to cloud computing, South Korea is also focusing heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) as part of its broader information and communication technology (ICT) strategy.

FTTH Council Europe report: FTTH/B in Rural Areas 2023

A report from the FTTH Council Europe shows that by September 2022, only 41% of rural inhabitants could enjoy capabilities offered by full-fibre connectivity. In European households in the EU27+UK region covered by FTTH/B networks, this is 56% on average. The five countries with the highest Rural FTTH/B coverage are Denmark (86%), Romania (83%), Latvia (77% Spain (74%), and Portugal (70%). The report emphasizes that coverage of rural areas in EU27+UK is growing steadily and at an even increasing pace compared to non-rural regions.

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JET launches first permanently deployable floating 5G base station

JET Connectivity’s 5G Radio Access Network software and systems, and floating buoy hosting platforms to provide pop-up, solar powered 5G networks to offshore sites. The company recently announced the launch of its largest, permanently deployable, 5G ocean data platform. This can provide 5G to offshore wind farms in a way previously not possible. In this way, connectivity can be made available to those working offshore, from the start of a project through to operation.

Dell’Oro: cost per Gb/s to fall more slowly than optical network demand

Jimmy Yu, Dell’Oro’s Head of Optical Transport and Microwave Transmission & Mobile Backhaul Transport, explains that rising optical network capacity demand has been offset by the falling cost of Gb/s for the past 20 years. This helped providers keep up with demand without exponentially increasing capex. However, as demand rises, so does the cost of lowering the price-per-Gb/s. Sending more bits in the same amount of spectrum allows the service provider to amortize optical line system cost over more bandwidth, lowering the network’s price-per-bit. However, we’re approaching Shannon’s Limit, which defines the maximum rate at which information can be transmitted over a communication channel without error, given a specific noise level. That slows down spectral efficiency improvements.

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Prysmian Group presents new ‘Connect to lead’ business strategy

On Prysmian Group’s Capital Markets Day, the Executive Leadership Team unveiled the Company’s new strategy to lead the energy transition and digital transformation. The new five-year (2023-2027) Connect to Lead business strategy aims to capitalise on the Company’s market position to seize opportunities offered by trends shaping the cable industry. Prysmian is embracing the convergence of key market trends, such as growing emphasis on renewable energy generation, electrification, the need for power grid enhancement and the impact of digital transformation.

Solutions30 and GlasfaserPlus sign German FTTH rollout agreement

By 2028, GlasfaserPlus aims to provide high-speed internet access to up to 4m German households rural and small and medium-sized urban areas. The plan encompassed homes passed as well as homes connected. Previously, Solutions30 has developed connections in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. The two companies’ joint rollout will commence with the Saarland and Bayern regions. “This master partnership will give both partners a perfect opportunity to create value, employment and digital transition for the regions,” stated Luc Brusselaers, Chief Revenue Officer of Solutions30.

Fibre coverage in APAC markets keeps expanding

In emerging markets across APAC, fibre coverage continues to expand, now that the majority of households are reached by fibre networks, according to Kagan data. In APAC, 85.1% of the entire residential fixed-line broadband subscriber base consists of fibre broadband subscription. In most APAC markets, however, fibre broadband service take-up remained below 50%. This suggests that utilization of fibre infrastructure remains far from saturation in the region. Markets such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, with a high share of FTTH subscriptions, have been expanding coverage to remote areas and upgrading fibre speed.

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