More than 650 communities in the United States are now wired with direct optical fiber connections, or in industry terms, fiber-to-the-home.
The news was presented during the fourth annual Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Conference in Las Vegas this week.
The news was released in conjunction with the latest U.S. Optical Fiber Communities 2005 research report, sponsored by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Fiber Optic Communities of the United States (FOCUS). In total, the research listed 652 FTTH communities in 46 states, and 322,700 connected homes. By comparison, the September 2004 report listed 217 FTTH communities and 146,500 connected homes.
During the conference, representatives from Chariton Valley Telecom Corp. of north-central Missouri reported that FTTH has proved both a sound business strategy and an investment in the communities it serves.
"We've built-out five towns with direct fiber connections, and the customer response and take-rates have far surpassed our original expectations," says Chariton Valley General Manager Jim Simon. "The local economic development people couldn't be happier -FTTH had a major influence on a software support company's recent decision to move here.'"
Many of the FTTH communities appearing in the report are indicative of the "exurban" trend that's taken hold in some areas throughout the country. Developers are building 30-40 miles beyond major city limits to give homeowners more affordable housing options away from the city and suburbs.
Greenfield Communications of Southern California is part of the trend. The service provider works directly with developers to plan, install and operate advanced FTTH networks to master-planned communities throughout the Southwest.
"Our developers want high-technology solutions and services that will last," says said Mike Powers, president of Greenfield Communications. "By deploying fiber-to-the-home, we're giving them a cost-effective solution with the benefits of the future already built in, and we're giving their prospective homebuyers a very compelling reason for relocating."
Market researcher Michael Render, author of the U.S. Optical Fiber Communities list and keynote speaker at the FTTH Conference, noted several reasons for the growth of fiber-connected communities, including the fact that the average consumer take-rate for FTTH deployments offering triple-play services is now nearly 50%.
The Fiber-to-the-Home Council is a non-profit organization established in 2001 to educate the public on the opportunities and benefits of fiber-to-the-home solutions. For more information visit www.ftthcouncil.org.
