Fibre Infrastructure

Overview

This programme provides in-depth techno-economic analysis of fibre networks. As coverage improves, investors in and operators of full-fibre access networks are shifting their focus to utilisation and monetisation. Meanwhile, pressures in long-distance and international fibre markets are driving new investment. This programme helps decision-makers to understand and evaluate the financial and technological options available to maximise the return on this capex-intensive investment.

Themes

• Capex trends. The changing patterns of spending from 2018 to 2030, by operators and other delayered entities, on fibre networks.
• Monetisation. Evolving monetisation models in wholesale fibre networks and the opportunities beyond broadband.
• Technology. New optical access technologies and their substitutes, platforms and virtualisation in fibre networking.

Questions answered

• Capex. What is the relationship between traffic and investment? Will operators need to spend as much on technology upgrades in the future?
• Investment. What are the economic limits to expansion of full-fibre networks, and how far will coverage expand into poor or remote areas?
• Monetisation. How much additional opportunity for investors is there in adjacent uses of fibre networks, and what do they have to invest in to capture it?
• Technology. Is the virtualisation and eventual programmability of fibre access networks a necessity or a nice-to-have?
• Delayering. Will country markets that adhere to a vertically integrated model for broadband have to delayer into netcos and servecos?