Fiber broadband deployment reached a historic milestone in 2025, according to the Fiber Deployment Survey released by the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and conducted by RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting. The survey shows that fiber-to-the-home expansion accelerated sharply, positioning fiber as the dominant broadband technology in North America.
In the United States, fiber broadband deployments reached 11.8 million homes passed in 2025 alone. Total FTTH passings climbed to 98.3 million when accounting for homes with more than one fiber provider. Canada also recorded strong progress, reaching 14.5 million fiber passings, which represents nearly 75 percent of Canadian households.
Fiber broadband on track to dominate U.S. connectivity
Survey findings indicate that fiber broadband now passes more than 60 percent of U.S. households and is on pace to overtake cable and other access technologies as the leading broadband platform as early as 2028. Despite the rapid expansion, significant growth potential remains. Around 60 million U.S. households are still potential first-time fiber passings, while 84 percent of potential second and third passings remain untapped, creating substantial opportunities for competitive overbuilds.
Beyond network reach, adoption is also increasing. Average take rates for primary fiber passings rose to 46.5 percent. In markets where a second fiber provider enters, the total FTTH take rate climbs to roughly 61 percent, highlighting that fiber-to-fiber competition drives higher customer adoption rather than market saturation.
Customer experience driving fiber adoption
Industry experts point to customer experience as a key factor behind fiber’s accelerating momentum. Consumers consistently rate fiber highest across performance metrics such as speed, latency, and reliability. Survey-based speed tests further confirm fiber’s technical advantages, reinforcing its position as the preferred broadband option for households and businesses.
As competition intensifies and more providers expand their fiber footprints, adoption rates are expected to continue rising, strengthening fiber’s role as the foundation of U.S. broadband infrastructure.
Emerging markets fuel long-term fiber demand
While FTTH remains a major growth driver, emerging markets are expected to sustain fiber demand well beyond residential broadband. These include data centers, mobile towers and small cells, energy and grid infrastructure, inside-the-home fiber, quantum networking, artificial intelligence workloads, and fiber sensing applications. Many of these segments are still in early stages of maturity, offering long-term expansion opportunities.
Investment in fiber infrastructure remains strong despite challenges linked to programs such as RDOF and BEAD. Government funding continues to support FTTH construction, and a change in U.S. federal tax law restoring 100 percent bonus depreciation in 2026 is expected to increase FTTH capital expenditure by an estimated 5 percent to 15 percent.
Fiber deployment underpins the digital economy The latest Fiber Deployment Survey reinforces fiber broadband’s role as the technology of choice for both network operators and consumers. With record deployment levels, rising take rates, and expanding use cases beyond traditional broadband, fiber is becoming central to the future digital economy in the United States and Canada.
Shafana Fazal
