Since December 2019, mainstream operators around the world have launched 5G commercial plans and services, and the construction of base stations and bearer networks has driven the growth in demand for optical fibers and cables. But it was also at that time that the new crown epidemic broke out on a global scale. Thousands of industries were affected by the epidemic, and the optical fiber manufacturing industry was not spared. The deployment of optical fibers also stagnated.
At present, with the normalization of epidemic prevention and control and the demand of global economic recovery, the deployment of optical fibers outside the world is gradually increasing.
Less than 50% of the world’s population enjoys broadband services, and even less than 40% in developing countries. The foundation of optical fiber communication networks in Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa is weak and broadband penetration is low. In order to strengthen the basic network construction(https://hello-signal.com/), mainstream operators in these regions have accelerated the scale construction of fixed-line broadband.
It is estimated that Europe will need to invest 300 billion euros by 2025 to realize the gigabit upgrade of 5G solutions and communication infrastructure.
E.g:
UK: The UK government plans to invest £5 billion to support the deployment of gigabit broadband.
Germany: Deutsche Telekom announced that it will expand the fiber optic network infrastructure in Germany on a large scale in the next few years, striving to achieve 10 million households with fiber to the home by 2024 and all German households will realize fiber-optic home by 2030.
Spain: To implement the Spanish Digital 2025 plan, the Spanish government will invest 4.3 billion euros in public funds to promote connectivity, digital infrastructure and 5G technology. Meanwhile, operators are expected to invest around 24 billion euros to roll out FTTH and 5G technologies.
Italy: The Italian government is spending nearly 3.7 billion euros to promote the deployment of gigabit broadband. By 2026, FTTH coverage is expected to reach 26 million households.
North America continues to promote the construction of communication infrastructure.
In 2022, the U.S. government plans to spend another $600 million to develop rural broadband; analysis says that the U.S. ushered in the peak period of FTTH deployment(https://hello-signal.com/ftth-fttx/), and Google Fiber restarted its expansion plan.
Bell Canada announced 5G coverage in southern Ontario, providing customers with the fastest 5G mobile technology services.
Middle East and Southeast Asia
Countries in these regions have increased investment in 5G and fiber coverage in recent years.
E.g:
Pakistan: In 2020, the Pakistani government launched a 5.2 trillion rupee investment plan: involving fiber optics, 5G and other projects.
Iran: In 2022, the Ministry of Telecommunications of Iran launched a new large-scale fiber-to-the-home project, which will provide high-speed fixed fiber-optic network services to more than 20 million households and businesses.
By 2025, the number of global mobile users will increase from 5.3 billion to 5.7 billion, and the coverage of the population will increase from 67% to 70%. At the same time, with the acceleration of the global 5G process, the coverage of fiber optic cables has continued to increase. In addition, due to the recent surge in demand for Internet and data services and the acceleration of infrastructure construction in various countries, there is a shortage of optical fibers around the world, which will drive up the price of optical fibers.