Vincent Garnier, the Director General of the FTTH Council Europe, on the drivers and hurdles for FTTH deployment and take-up in Central Eastern Europe, ahead of the region's Congress.
What key trends in fibre deployment and adoption do you expect to dominate discussions at the FTTH Congress Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) 2025?
Three themes will dominate. First, closing the adoption gap: CEE has excellent coverage in many markets, but take-up remains uneven; the conversation will move from ‘passing homes’ to ‘connecting homes’, investigating the best strategies to achieve full adoption.
Second, financing and business models: blended finance, public-private partnerships and wholesale/open-access models that reduce duplication will be front and centre.
Third, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) as a strategic enabler – operators and investors are increasingly treating FTTH as a low-carbon, long-life infrastructure asset. Similarly, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) now has a permanent seat at every boardroom.
Central and Eastern Europe is seeing rapid growth in fibre networks; which countries or markets do you think are leading the way, and why?
The most recent data from our European FTTH/B Market Panorama report confirms that the CEE region has made strong progress in fibre roll-out, with several countries exceeding the EU39 average coverage of 74.6%. Romania leads with 93.6% coverage, followed by Estonia (86.2%), Lithuania (80.2%), Hungary (79.5%) and Ukraine (77.6%). Poland sits close to the European benchmark (70.5%), while Latvia (62.5%) and Czechia (41.9%) reflect ongoing rural and regulatory challenges. Overall, fibre has become the region’s mainstream fixed broadband technology.
The key challenge now is adoption. While the EU39 take-up average is 53%, CEE shows sharp contrasts: Romania (82%) is among Europe’s leaders, with Ukraine (66.6%) and Latvia (66%) also ahead. Meanwhile, Lithuania (48.5%), Czechia (45.4%), Estonia (44.4%) and Poland (41%) underline the need for stronger demand stimulation. Rather than a weakness, this diversity signals opportunities for targeted policies and investment to accelerate uptake.
How do you see regulation and government support influencing fibre rollout across CEE in 2025 and beyond?
The regulatory framework and government support will continue to play a decisive role in fibre deployment across Central and Eastern Europe. The Gigabit Infrastructure Act, which becomes fully applicable in November 2025, will be particularly important, although its effectiveness remains to be tested in practice. At the same time, regulators must ensure that the framework established by the European Electronic Communications Code continues to deliver. In this context, it will be essential for the forthcoming Digital Networks Act to provide a reassuring framework for investors and fair competition rules for the market players. Another critical lever is copper switch-off: phasing out legacy networks is not merely a technical exercise, but also a policy tool that can accelerate migration to fibre and significantly reduce operators’ operating costs.
Which technological innovations are likely to have the biggest impact on the region’s networks in the next two to three years?
The near-term winners are evolutionary but consequential:
XGS-PON and higher-rate PONs: these standards give symmetric multi-Gbps services with modest incremental power and footprint; they are already rolling out across Europe and will be central to CEE upgrades
Energy-aware PON equipment and smarter CPE: smaller power budgets at OLT/ONT level and more efficient customer devices reduce operational emissions and OPEX
- Micro-trenching, duct reuse and low-impact civil techniques: lower cost, faster deployments with smaller environmental footprint will accelerate rollouts in dense urban and suburban areas
- Automation, AI/ML for network operations and predictive maintenance: reduces truck rolls and energy use (fewer faults, optimised capacity).
Taken together, these innovations improve capacity, reduce operational cost and reduce the carbon intensity of FTTH operations, which is a compelling combination for investors and regulators. On the other hand, if we look at it from the angle of applications driving demand for FTTH, we should also mention 5G deployment, AI applications driving traffic to the networks and much more.
How is the FTTH Council Europe addressing the sustainability challenge – both in terms of energy efficiency and the circular economy – for fibre networks?
At the FTTH Council Europe, we are promoting FTTH as a credible ‘green asset’ so projects can access sustainable finance. A recent white paper, produced in collaboration with Cartesian, explains how stronger evidence of positive environmental impact can help FTTH projects qualify for sustainable bonds and green finance, and it argues for evolving EU taxonomy criteria to recognise FTTH’s lifecycle merits. This matters because sustainable finance will be a major source of funding to reach the Digital Decade objectives.
Also, as an industry association regrouping all stakeholders of the FTTH value chain, we are in a unique position to propose a unique initiative, the FTTH Eco Platform, where companies can share ESG best practices, build a database of detailed carbon intensity information for all products (essential for the accuracy of Scope 3 reporting), and offer preferential access to the services of a consultant and a tool for organisations measuring their carbon emissions for the first time.
Ultimately, we believe that cooperation between all stakeholders of our industry is key to helping us individually and collectively reduce our carbon emissions and that this is also the most time and cost-effective way for organisations to adapt their processes.
What is your pick as the biggest highlight or must-see session at the FTTH Congress CEE 2025, and why?
It’s difficult to choose a single session from such a rich programme. Highlights surely include keynotes from Kamila Kloc, representing European Commission’s DG CONNECT, Marco Obiso, bringing the ITU’s perspective, and Verena Weber, from the BEREC Office.
The programme also features a series of panel discussions on market-specific challenges in countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Czechia, and the Baltics; as well as sessions on network resilience, future business models, resilience and cyber security, policy and regulation, and DE&I, with insights from senior decision-makers across Central and Eastern Europe and the wider European fibre ecosystem.
How has recruitment for the FTTH Congress CEE 2025 gone this year in terms of audience and speakers?
Recruitment has gone extremely well this year. We have invited more than 60 speakers to cover everything from fibre deployment to investment and policy, and despite the usual logistical challenges of a large event, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Speakers from local governments, European and international institutions, private and public investors, operators and vendors are now preparing their contributions. The level of enthusiasm we see is really energising for our team.
On the attendee side, we are targeting more than 400 stakeholders to join us in Warsaw. We have been working hard to make the congress not just informative but also genuinely enjoyable and productive, with new tools and dedicated moments to help people network, do business and collaborate. Seeing this mix of high-calibre content and vibrant participation come together makes the FTTH Congress CEE 2025 feel like a truly pivotal event for the region.
Where do you see the CEE fibre market by 2030, and how do events such as this congress help shape that future?
By 2030, I expect many CEE markets to advance in their path to full-fibre connectivity. Countries such as Czechia, Latvia, and Poland will be regional frontrunners in terms of FTTH/B coverage evolution over the 2025-2030 period, according to our most recent market forecasts. On the adoption side of things, the main movers over the same timeframe are expected to be Czechia, Poland, Hungary, and Estonia. Lagging markets will make progress but may still require targeted public support to close the gap.
Events such as the FTTH Congress CEE 2025 accelerate knowledge sharing, build investor–operator relationships, and align policymakers on what regulatory steps and incentives are most effective. The practical tools we are launching, and the business discussions we are enabling, are the exact kinds of outputs that move an industry from pilot projects to financeable, large-scale programmes.
What role are private investors and public-private partnerships playing in accelerating FTTH deployment in the region?
Private investors and public-private partnerships are increasingly important in accelerating FTTH deployment across the region. Private capital brings not only financing, but also expertise in structuring and scaling projects, which helps speed up rollouts where there is a clear business case.
At the same time, public involvement can complement these efforts, particularly in areas where commercial investment alone may be more challenging. In such cases, well-designed public-private approaches can help extend coverage and ensure that fibre reaches communities that might otherwise be left behind.
This balance between private capital and public policy is exactly the kind of dynamic that will be highlighted at the FTTH Congress CEE 2025. In the opening panel, institutions such as the EBRD and ING will share their experience of financing fibre projects in the region – showing how financial partners and governments can work together to make ambitious rollouts both bankable and inclusive.
How do you see the balance between competition and cooperation evolving among operators, municipalities, and alternative network (altnet) providers?
The balance between competition and cooperation in fibre deployment is very much shaped by national contexts, regulatory frameworks, and market maturity. In some countries, competition between operators, municipalities, and altnet providers has been the key driver of innovation, service quality, and customer satisfaction. In this regard, the FTTH Council Europe has always underlined the value of healthy competition as a cornerstone for a dynamic and consumer-friendly market.
At the same time, we see that cooperation, whether through network sharing, wholesale models, or open-access arrangements, can be an effective way to accelerate deployment and optimise resources. Finding the right balance between these two dynamics is essential to maximise investment efficiency, while ensuring end-users benefit from choice and high-quality services. This is precisely the focus of the dedicated panel on Open Access at the FTTH Congress CEE 2025, where senior leaders from ING, Orange, NEXERA, and FiberEins will share practical experiences of how competition and cooperation can co-exist to drive faster and broader fibre rollouts in the region.
What strategies are being discussed to ensure rural and underserved communities in CEE are not left behind in the fibre rollout? Is the approach uniform across the region?
The strategies to ensure rural and underserved communities in CEE are connected to fibre vary widely, and the FTTH Council Europe’s FTTH/B in Rural Areas report highlights just how diverse the situation is across the region. On average, around 64% of rural households in the EU27+UK had FTTH/B coverage at September 2024, but the spread is striking: countries such as Romania (94%) and Bulgaria (80%) are among the frontrunners, while others such as the Czechia (13%) and Latvia (13%) are still at a much earlier stage.
This diversity reflects different policy choices, funding models, and market dynamics, as there is no uniform approach across CEE. That’s why the FTTH Congress CEE 2025 will feature a series of country-focused panels, looking at the specific dynamics of markets such as Poland, Romania, Czechia, and the Baltics, to dive deeper into these differences. Each session will highlight practical lessons from governments, operators, and investors on how to bridge the rural digital divide in their specific context.
Vincent Garnier is the Director General of the FTTH Council Europe. He manages and shapes the FTTH Council’s agenda and ensures the continuous implementation of its mission to advance ubiquitous full fibre-based connectivity to the whole of Europe.
www.ftthcongress.eu/event/CEE2025/summary
