Europe’s Top Wholesale FTTP Specialists Form New Alliance

The group aims to streamline investment opportunities in full fibre, gigabit capable networks across Europe
Europe’s leading full fibre wholesale and open access network operators have formed a new alliance to help accelerate the rollout of gigabit capable broadband networks across Europe.

The chief executive officers of Cityfibre (UK), Open Fiber (Italy), Deutsche Glasfaser (Germany), Gagnaveita Reykjavikur (Iceland) and SIRO (Ireland), met with the FTTH Council Europe and the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications in Rome to discuss strategies for rolling out fibre to millions of businesses across Europe.

“It has been a great pleasure for Open Fiber to host the meeting. The companies gathering in Rome have agreed to create an alliance to share best-practice and to promote the benefits and advantages of the full fiber wholesale-only, which deliver full fiber infrastructure far more efficiently than vertically integrated incumbent operators,” said Elisabetta Ripa, CEO of Open Fiber.

The new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) encourages investment from wholesale only operators by providing a light regulatory regime.

The group argue that the wholesale-only model is the ideal vehicle for the roll-out of very high capacity networks as envisaged by the Code. It will also be a key facilitator of Internet of Things (IOT) technology and 5G.

“Wholesale only has been at the heart of CityFibre’s strategy from day one. We are leading the rollout of full fiber infrastructure across the UK, deploying modern digital infrastructure to millions of homes and businesses, empowering all service providers, mobile operators and digital innovators. It is the new generation of fibre infrastructure operators that are building FTTH faster, quicker and cheaper than incumbent legacy operators, and CityFibre welcomes collaboration with our alliance partners across Europe,” said Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre. – Total Telecom