UAE leads in FTTH adoption in region

2/18/2016 11:50:36 PM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The fibre to the home/building (FTTH/B) average take up rate in the Mena region has reached 43 per cent with the UAE leading the market at 75 per cent according to the latest FTTH Mena Panorama study.

FTTH is a future proof technology and fast growing method of providing vastly higher bandwidth to consumers and businesses enabling more robust video internet and voice services. The global FTTH market reached 181.7 million subscribers by June 2015 according to the FTTH Council Global Alliance (FCGA) global studies. In addition an announcement during the FTTH Council Europe event in Luxembourg on February 17 2016 regarding the global penetration ranking saw the UAE being placed second globally after South Korea.

Subscribers in the Mena region have reached 2.1 million an increase of 20 per cent from the previous year while the number of homes passed by FTTH/B was more than five million an increase of 28 per cent from the previous year.

"We are very enthusiastic about the growth in FTTH/B coverage and take up rate in the Mena region especially with the UAE as number one in the region and second in the global ranking with an exhaustive FTTH coverage. Other GCC countries also represent significant and dynamic markets such as KSA Qatar Oman and Kuwait. We are very optimistic for the Levant and North Africa countries such as Lebanon and Tunisia with new initiatives for the national digital vision 2020" said Dr Safa Nassereldin chairwoman and board member of the FTTH Council Mena.

Some of the key drivers for the increase in FTTH adoption in the Mena region are the national broadband networks initiatives housing programmes and mobile backhaul. More than 48 FTTH/B projects took place in the market. The country with the highest penetration rate in the region is the UAE followed by Qatar Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Most telcos in the GCC provide innovative TV and video services available on their new networks and with the new OTT services launched in the Middle East region expectations for a wider FTTH coverage and an increased take up are both very promising.

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