The figures, supplied by Vertical Systems Group, highlight the growing demand for fibre services sin the US. By comparison, in 2004, when it first started publishing the fibre gap figures, fibre was available in just 10.9% of commercial buildings.
In 2015, the figure was 46.2%, up from 42.5% in 2014. The figures show a steady rise of between 4% and 6% per year in penetration, with 2016 seeing almost half of all commercial buildings lit.
The research found that active optical fibre is the most widely deployed access technology for the delivery of carrier Ethernet services in the US. It is also the preferred choice for both service providers and business customers looking for high-speed connectivity.
“Fiber footprints have been highly valued assets in nearly every merger transaction in the industry during the past two years. The density of fiber lit buildings on-net and geographic reach are significant competitive differentiators,” said Rosemary Cochran, principal at Vertical Systems Group.
“For 2017, network providers report that fiber footprint expansion is the top factor that will drive Carrier Ethernet growth and support rising demand for other gigabit-speed services.”
