Africa's FTTH Boom Has Begun: Report

The number of homes passed by a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connection in Africa has soared during the past year, exceeding 1 million during 2016, and is set to ramp further and break the 2 million barrier during 2017, according to a new industry report.

The African FTTH Boom - Last Mile Fibre Dynamics, Economics and Outlook in African Markets, a new report from Xalam Analytics, notes that while the majority (about 85%) of homes passed by fiber are in just five markets (South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and Mauritius), the ongoing FTTH boom is about more than just that small set. "FTTH/P roll-outs have been initiated in at least 15 markets outside of the top five… from Cameroon to Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville, at various levels of scale," notes the report's author, Xalam's Principal Guy Zibi.

According to Zibi, there are a number of factors driving the growth of FTTH in Africa, including demand from urban professionals who want an ultra-broadband experience at home, increasing capacity supply and declining international capacity prices, and improving regulatory conditions in some markets (though this is also a major hindrance in others). And those factors will help push the number of homes passed, and the number of revenue-generating FTTH connections, higher in the coming years.

For more on this emerging market development, read Africa’s FTTH Boom is Here: Report at our sister site, Connecting Africa.

— Ray Le Maistre, , Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading