Future proof strategies towards fiber to the home

Telecom operators are currently offering high speed Internet services over copper as well as cable networks. Besides the traditional Internet services, more bandwidth consuming services such as IPTV are forcing telecom operators to upgrade their networks. This upgrade is happening in most Western countries at a much slower rate than expected. The final step of migrating to an all fiber (last mile) access network is one bridge to far for most operators. Nevertheless, FTTH is considered as the solution for access networks in the long run. In this paper we will analyse different technical, as well as future proof strategies for the rollout of FttH, taking into account the current network situation, new competition regulation and cost efficiency. The different roles and actors are considered, and for each type of competition model, the value network is presented and analysed in the light of changing technological needs, economic and regulatory conditions