Fibre is no longer just about the home. It has become a fundamental part of Europe’s connected ecosystem, supporting everything from residential broadband and enterprise networks to mobile infrastructure, data centres and the digital services that rely on them.
After more than two decades as the FTTH Council Europe, and having witnessed fibre’s expanding role first-hand, the time was right for our identity to reflect this evolution.
As Fibre Council Europe, our scope is broader while our mission remains firmly rooted in the foundations we have built over the past 20 years: advancing full-fibre connectivity and helping connect everyone and everything, everywhere.
Below, we outline what this evolution means for the Council and how our scope is expanding.
Is FTTH still a core part of the Fibre Council Europe?
Absolutely.
FTTH may no longer appear in our name, but it remains fundamental to our vision and activities. The rebrand reflects an expansion of our remit, rather than a move away from our long-standing commitment to advancing full-fibre connectivity across Europe. Europe has made substantial progress in fibre deployment. Our 2026 FTTH/B Market Panorama shows that, as of September 2025, approximately 295 million homes in the EU39 are now passed by fibre, representing around 79% household coverage.
This progress is reshaping market priorities, but it does not mean that the work is complete. Further deployment remains necessary in many areas, while take-up, adoption, and the effective utilisation of existing fibre infrastructure continue to be major priorities.
At the same time, our focus is also expanding beyond FTTH alone. We want to help the industry understand how existing and future fibre networks can create greater value across the entire digital infrastructure ecosystem.
How is Fibre Council Europe’s scope expanding?
One of the most important changes is that we are looking at fibre infrastructure more broadly, from core to edge.
Historically, the Council was primarily associated with fibre access networks and residential FTTH. These remain central to our work, but fibre today forms part of a much wider physical infrastructure chain.
That chain extends from core networks and data centres, through data centre interconnection and access networks, to residential users, enterprises, and the infrastructure supporting mobile and wireless connectivity.
Data centres are an increasingly important part of this ecosystem. The growth of data centres, together with the expansion of cloud services and AI, is driving demand for high-capacity, reliable fibre connectivity between facilities and across networks.
Within the access network itself, our broader scope also reflects areas that are becoming increasingly relevant to the industry. One example is the accelerating transition from HFC towards FTTH and greater fibre penetration as cable operators move ahead with the next stage of network evolution.
At the enterprise level, we are also looking more closely at fibre-based technologies such as Optical LAN, which demonstrate how fibre can play a greater role within buildings and enterprise environments.
What about network resilience and technological evolution?
Looking at fibre from core to edge also means considering how the entire infrastructure can be strengthened and developed over time. Resilience and security are cross-cutting priorities across the whole fibre network.
Fibre infrastructure is already fundamental to Europe’s digital economy and society and is increasingly recognised as critical infrastructure for communities and businesses across the continent. Ensuring that these networks are secure and resilient is therefore becoming an even more important part of the industry conversation.
The Council also continues to address the technological evolution of fibre networks, including developments that improve network performance, capacity and capabilities amid rapidly growing demand.
These areas are not entirely new to the Council, but their strategic importance is increasing as fibre networks become responsible for supporting a broader range of critical connectivity requirements.
Is Fibre Council Europe also looking beyond the infrastructure itself?
Yes.
Our evolution is not only about expanding the physical boundaries of the fibre network.
We also want Fibre Council Europe to participate in the broader conversation around the digital applications and services enabled by fibre infrastructure.
Connectivity is ultimately valuable because of what it allows people, businesses, and societies to do. Fibre provides the underlying infrastructure for an increasingly wide range of applications: cloud, AI services, enterprise platforms, connected infrastructure, and future digital services all hinge on strong fibre as its foundation.
This broader perspective is at the heart of our ambition to power Europe’s digital future.
Why did the FTTH Conference become Fibre Horizons?
The evolution of the Council is also reflected in our flagship annual event.
The former FTTH Conference has become Fibre Horizons, reflecting not simply a new name but the broader ecosystem and conversations that the event is designed to bring together.
FTTH remains a focal point of the event, while Fibre Horizons expands the discussion across the wider fibre landscape. New keynotes, panels, and exhibitions will now highlight and showcase insights relating to access networks, enterprise connectivity, network evolution, investment, data centres and DCI, and the applications increasingly enabled by fibre.
Some of these conversations have already been developing within the Conference. The 2025 Conference, for example, included workshops and panels exploring fibre’s role in data centre expansion and the technologies supporting its continued growth.
On 17-18 March 2027 in Milan, Fibre Horizons will take this evolution further, bringing together operators, vendors, investors, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the fibre and digital infrastructure ecosystem to foster greater collaboration across the entire fibre landscape.
Powering Europe’s digital future
The evolution from FTTH Council Europe to Fibre Council Europe builds on more than 20 years of work advancing fibre connectivity across Europe.
FTTH remains fundamental to that mission. What has changed is the scale of the opportunity around it.
By looking at fibre from core to edge, strengthening the conversation around network resilience and evolution, and engaging with the applications and services that fibre enables, Fibre Council Europe can bring together a broader ecosystem around the infrastructure that will underpin Europe’s digital future.
Our new identity, explained by our Director General
Hear from Vincent Garnier, Director General of Fibre Council Europe, as he explains the vision behind our new identity and what it means for the future of Europe's fibre ecosystem.