March 23, 2026

This report examines how the transition toward 25G and 50G PON reshapes fixed access economics beyond simple speed upgrades.
While next-generation PON technologies are technically mature, their economic justification remains highly selective, driven by utilisation uncertainty, shorter refresh cycles and rising governance complexity.

As residential FTTH markets across Europe mature, operators face slowing growth and diminishing returns on further household expansion. At the same time, SMEs remain significantly underserved: their fibre coverage lags residential by 20–40 points, and most operate below the performance thresholds required for cloud, cybersecurity and hybrid work.

This report examines how SME-focused fibre deployment