MasOrange and Vodafone Spain have joined forces to create FiberCo, set to become the largest fiber network company in Europe. This joint fiber venture aims to significantly expand Spain’s FTTH network.
Telefónica’s €550M sale of its Peruvian fiber network to KKR and Entel has stalled, thwarting plans to reduce its €26B debt. Despite regulatory approval, unmet conditions derailed the deal.
Verizon has set a new precedent with its recent achievement of 1.6 Tbps speeds over its live fiber network. This milestone, using cutting-edge WaveLogic 6 Extreme technology, meets the surging demand for AI data processing efficiently.
Nokia, Windstream, and Colt have successfully completed an 800 Gigabit Ethernet (800GbE) transatlantic trial, spanning 8,500 km between London and Chicago. Using cutting-edge technologies, this achievement doubles network capacity, enabling faster, low-latency connections crucial for AI, financial transactions, and cloud systems.
Sitetracker and VETRO have announced a strategic partnership at Fiber Connect 2024 to streamline fiber network deployment. By integrating VETRO’s FiberMap with Sitetracker’s software, broadband providers receive enhanced geospatial data, optimizing project planning and execution.
In a bold move to reshape the UK’s broadband landscape, VMO2, backed by shareholders Liberty Global and Telefónica, has announced the launch of a new fixed network company, ambitiously positioned as a direct competitor to BT’s Openreach. Dubbed NetCo for now, this venture aims to accelerate the adoption of full fibre broadband, offering a fresh financing framework and a potential platform for the consolidation of alternative network providers (altnets).
Airtel Africa is redefining its enterprise, anticipating to leverage Africa’s burgeoning digital sector with the advent of its novel fibre wholesaler, Telesonic. The subsidiary will harness the power of Airtel’s vast terrestrial fibre network, bolstered by the firm’s stake in the pan-African submarine cable, 2Africa.
As both the UK and US strive to deliver full-fibre broadband, each country grapples with its hurdles; one being persuading landlords to greenlight installation plans within their properties. In the UK, mechanisms are in place to enable operators to seek judicial access if landlord agreement is unattainable, a luxury the US lacks, suggesting the potential need for new legislative action in America. A monumental goal for both nations is eliminating the digital divide which requires a comprehensive combination of varied technology methods.
As Germany’s “Gigabit funding 2.0” program faces potential budget reductions, there’s concern it may throttle the rollout process with overcrowded construction capacity, causing a potential lag in projects. Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs declares a €3.6 billion allocation for the ourishing fibre-optic network industry.
The ambitious nexfibre roll-out strategy continues with plans to extend their services using the advanced XGS-PON architecture, promising symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gbps. This includes expansion into locations like Kent, Cheshire, and Durham. With fruitful collaboration with Virgin Media O2, nexfibre is set to revolutionize broadband access in the UK.
