North American FTTH connections pass 10 million

The number of homes in North America connected to a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network has exceeded 10 million for the first time, reported Michael Render, owner and chief analyst at RVA LLC, at last week’s FTTH Conference. RVA is a market research firm that frequently provides research services to the FTTH Council Americas.

The number of FTTH connections on the continent has grown steadily since 2004, RVA reports, and reached 9 million in September 2012 (see “FTTH Council Americas releases FTTH market numbers”). The U.S. accounts for 90% of the current North American connections, Render said. The latest figures, which illustrate the state of play as of September 2013, also show the number of homes passed has reached 27.7 million (versus 24.3 million in September 2012), while homes marketed have reached 25.5 million.

In the U.S., Tier 1 ILECs, led by Verizon, account for 76.7% of the country’s 9.6 million FTTH connections. Other ILECs have connected 10.4% of the country’s total FTTH subscribers, with municipalities and public utilities combining for another 4.2%. This last group has nearly half of the country’s gigabit networks, 11 of the 26 RVA have identified. Competitive access providers, including Google, account for another nine such networks.

Render also reported that take rates for FTTH networks in the U.S. continue to grow. The average take rate for FTTH networks in the country reached 45.8% last month, he said.

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