S&P Global Market Intelligence Surveys: Fiber Deployments in U.S. and Europe + AI Infrastructure Causes Market Shift
S&P’s Global Market Intelligence most recent survey showed that 87% of telecom providers in North America and Europe were deploying fiber optics last year, about the same as 2024. That’s according to the firm’s Erik Keith during a webinar hosted June 17th by the Fiber Broadband Association and its president, Gary Bolton. Among the 104 telecom operators surveyed globally, nearly nine out of ten are already using fiber as part of their broadband strategy. On the cable side, more than two-thirds of operators have either deployed fiber-to-the-home or plan to do so.
The Fiber Broadband Association says, “FTTH technology is clearly the “end game” solution for wireline broadband access services, however, the speed and scope of operator migration to full-fiber networks varies widely, depending on factors such as operator roadmaps and competitive landscape conditions.”
- Pervasive Adoption: Among the 104 telecom operators surveyed globally, 87% in North America and Europe utilize or are actively deploying fiber.
- FTTH Dominance: Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) is widely regarded as the ultimate end-game for wireline broadband, though legacy copper and fixed wireless networks remain a part of some operators’ transition strategies.
- Cable Operator Progress: On the cable side, more than two-thirds of providers have already deployed FTTH or plan to do so as competition intensifies. More than two-thirds of surveyed cable operators have either deployed FTTH or plan to do so in the near future.
- Growing Cable Competition: Fiber overlap now extends across an estimated 75% of the U.S. cable footprint. Because of this, traditional cable operators are experiencing continued broadband subscriber losses and are actively revising their pricing and bundling strategies.
- High Consumer Satisfaction: Consumer surveys show that gigabit-tier fiber subscribers report the highest overall satisfaction rates, while fiber providers—including Verizon, Breezeline, and Frontier—claim the three lowest monthly churn rates in the U.S.
- AI as a Fiber Catalyst: Fiber is increasingly viewed as a dual-use asset capable of supporting both residential users and hyperscalers, as surging artificial intelligence (AI) demands require advanced, high-capacity infrastructure.
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A different S&P Global Market Intelligence report argues that AI infrastructure demand is becoming linked to a larger market shift: constrained energy supply, higher expected earnings for producers and a growing premium for companies that control scarce capacity. For telecom and technology markets, the report adds another layer to the AI infrastructure conversation. The AI buildout is often discussed in terms of chips, models, cloud platforms and data centers. S&P Global Market Intelligence’s analysis suggests the conversation also needs to include energy supply, regional exposure, capex efficiency and the market value of scarce capacity.
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References:
https://www.benton.org/headlines/fiber-breakfast-week-24-fiber-technology-trends
