Global fiber broadband investment is accelerating in 2026, with China, the United States, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Brazil, Japan and Spain emerging as 10 strategically important markets for fiber infrastructure investment. Major investors include China Mobile, China Telecom, AT&T, Verizon, Reliance Jio, Deutsche Telekom, Openreach, Orange, TIM, Telefónica and NTT.
These countries represent different stages of fiber deployment. China dominates in network scale, the United States combines substantial private investment with federal broadband funding, India is expanding rural fiber infrastructure, and European operators are investing heavily in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks.
Meanwhile, Omdia’s Fiber Development Index 2026 ranks Singapore first among 98 countries for the seventh consecutive year, scoring 99 points. The UAE and South Korea secured second and third positions. Spain climbed four places to eighth, while Vietnam jumped 17 positions to ninth. Italy dropped eight places to 44th, the UK fell five places to 52nd, and Germany slipped six places to 65th. Globally, 74 percent of consumer broadband lines use fiber, while 29 percent offer speeds of at least 1 Gbps. Growing AI demand is driving investment in 50 Gbps access networks and 800 Gbps optical transport infrastructure.
The global transition toward fiber is supported by growing demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, enterprise connectivity and high-speed residential broadband.
According to the OECD’s October 2026 broadband assessment, fiber accounted for 51 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions across OECD countries in 2025, compared with 31 percent in 2020. Spain recorded 91 percent fiber penetration within fixed broadband subscriptions, followed by France at 82 percent. Germany remained below 20 percent, indicating substantial potential for further investment.
Methodology: The following is a shortlist of 10 major fiber investment markets, not a verified ranking by fiber-only annual capital expenditure. Countries do not publish directly comparable fiber-specific investment totals. Government program budgets, operator-wide capital expenditure and fiber rollout figures are identified separately to avoid misleading comparisons.
Top 10 Countries: Fiber Investment, Major Investors and Network Expansion
| Country | Major investors | Key investment and fiber deployment figures |
| 1. China | China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom | Combined 2026 operator capex plans of RMB 259.6 billion ($36 billion approximately), covering mobile, fiber, cloud and AI infrastructure. |
| 2. United States | AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Frontier | $42.45 billion BEAD broadband program; AT&T targets $23 billion–$24 billion in total capital investment in 2026. |
| 3. India | Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, BSNL | ₹1.40 lakh crore ($16 billion approximately) approved for amended BharatNet; target of 1.5 crore FTTH connections. |
| 4. Germany | Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Deutsche Glasfaser | Deutsche Telekom reported 21 million fiber-optic-based lines in March 2026; Germany’s FTTH coverage is forecast at 56 percent in 2026. |
| 5. United Kingdom | BT/Openreach, Virgin Media O2, nexfibre | Openreach targets 25 million premises by December 2026; the nexfibre transaction is expected to unlock £3.5 billion in investment. |
| 6. France | Orange, Iliad, Bouygues Telecom | Fiber represents 82 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions; major operators invested €119 per inhabitant across telecom infrastructure in 2024. |
| 7. Italy | Open Fiber, FiberCop, KKR | Open Fiber invested €1.6 billion in 2025, reaching €11.8 billion cumulatively; FiberCop secured an EIB financing agreement of up to €1 billion in 2026. |
| 8. Brazil | Vivo, Claro, TIM Brasil | Brazil has 36.3 million FTTH connections, representing 74 percent of fixed lines in PwC’s market assessment. |
| 9. Japan | NTT, KDDI, SoftBank | NTT plans approximately ¥2.43 trillion in FY2026 capital investment, including fixed broadband, mobile, enterprise ICT and data centers. |
| 10. Spain | Telefónica, MasOrange, Vodafone Spain | Fiber accounts for 91 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions; Bluevía’s network exceeds 5 million premises passed. |
Financial figures refer to different reporting periods and scopes. Total operator capex is not equivalent to fiber-only investment.
Country-Wise Investment Highlights
China: RMB 259.6 Billion Telecom Capex Supports Fiber, AI and Cloud
China remains the world’s largest fiber broadband market by network footprint.
China Mobile has budgeted RMB 136.6 billion in 2026 capital expenditure, followed by China Telecom at RMB 73 billion and China Unicom at RMB 50 billion.
The three operators collectively plan RMB 259.6 billion in capital investment. However, spending increasingly supports AI computing, cloud infrastructure and mobile networks alongside fixed broadband.
China Mobile allocated RMB 15.6 billion to computing-network investment during the first half of 2026, illustrating the growing importance of integrated fiber and AI infrastructure.
United States: $42.45 Billion Federal Program Supports Broadband Expansion
The United States is one of the largest markets for private and government-backed broadband investment.
AT&T expects $23 billion–$24 billion in total capital investment during 2026, supporting fiber and wireless infrastructure.
Its fiber network reaches more than 39 million consumer and business locations, with a target exceeding 60 million by 2030.
Verizon expects $16 billion–$16.5 billion in 2026 capital expenditure, while Charter Communications plans approximately $11.4 billion.
The federal BEAD program has a $42.45 billion budget for broadband deployment, although funding is technology-neutral rather than exclusively dedicated to fiber.
India: ₹1.40 Lakh Crore BharatNet Program Drives Rural Fiber Investment
India’s amended BharatNet program has an approved investment outlay of ₹1,39,579 crore, equivalent to approximately $16 billion.
The program targets broadband expansion across approximately 6.5 lakh villages, including connectivity for another 47,000 Gram Panchayats.
The government is targeting 1.5 crore FTTH connections under BharatNet.
Nearly 7 lakh kilometers of optical fiber cable have already been laid under the broader initiative.
Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and BSNL are among the country’s principal fixed broadband infrastructure investors.
India’s fixed broadband market also offers substantial growth potential. PwC expects fixed broadband subscriptions to reach 95.8 million by 2029, supported by fiber and 5G fixed wireless access.
Germany: Fiber Coverage Expected to Reach 56 Percent
Germany remains one of Europe’s most significant fiber expansion opportunities.
ING estimates that fiber coverage will increase from approximately 50 percent of households in 2025 to 56 percent in 2026.
Deutsche Telekom reported 21 million fiber-optic-based lines as of March 2026, although this broader measure includes technologies beyond FTTH.
Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Glasfaser and Vodafone are among the major investors.
Germany’s relatively low fiber adoption compared with Spain and France indicates considerable potential for additional FTTH deployment and customer migration.
United Kingdom: Openreach Targets 25 Million Premises
The UK is experiencing substantial investment in fiber networks.
Openreach reported 22.9 million premises passed and 8.8 million active FTTP connections in FY2026.
The company targets 25 million premises by December 2026 and up to 30 million by the end of the decade.
The acquisition of Substantial Group by investors associated with nexfibre is expected to unlock £3.5 billion in additional UK investment.
Ofcom estimates that full-fiber availability could increase from 24.9 million homes in January 2026 to 28.1 million by January 2029, assuming planned deployments materialize.
France: 82 Percent Fiber Share Shifts Focus Toward Monetization
France is among Europe’s most mature fiber broadband markets.
Fiber accounts for 82 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions, placing France among the OECD’s leading countries.
Orange, Iliad, Bouygues Telecom and SFR have contributed to nationwide network deployment.
With much of the population already covered, investment priorities are increasingly shifting toward customer connections, network utilization and the retirement of copper infrastructure.
Italy: €11.8 Billion Cumulative Open Fiber Investment
Italy offers some of the clearest publicly disclosed fiber-specific investment figures.
Open Fiber’s investment has reached approximately €1.6 billion in FTTH infrastructure during 2025, taking cumulative investment to €11.8 billion.
Its network reached approximately 17 million premises by the end of 2025, supporting 3.8 million active customers.
FiberCop secured an agreement with the European Investment Bank for financing of up to €1 billion in 2026.
The FiberCop project aims to extend FTTH connectivity to another 5.8 million homes and businesses.
Major institutional investors include KKR Infrastructure, CPP Investments, ADIA and F2i.
Brazil: 36.3 Million FTTH Connections
Brazil has emerged as one of the world’s largest FTTH markets.
PwC’s estimate indicates 36.3 million FTTH connections, representing 74 percent of fixed broadband lines.
Vivo, Claro and regional internet service providers are major participants in network expansion.
Telefónica’s FiBrasil infrastructure business reported a footprint of approximately 4.4 million premises across 151 municipalities.
Brazil’s growth reflects competition between national telecom operators and smaller regional fiber providers.
Japan: NTT Plans ¥2.43 Trillion Capital Investment
Japan’s fiber market is mature, with infrastructure investment increasingly focused on network upgrades, enterprise connectivity and integration with advanced computing infrastructure.
NTT plans approximately ¥2.43 trillion in FY2026 capital investment.
The budget includes fixed broadband infrastructure, mobile networks, enterprise ICT and data centers rather than fiber alone.
NTT, KDDI and SoftBank are among the principal network investors.
Japan’s investment opportunity is increasingly linked to high-capacity enterprise networks and upgrading existing broadband infrastructure.
Spain: 91 Percent Fiber Share Makes It a Leading FTTH Market
Spain has one of the highest fiber adoption rates among major economies.
Fiber accounted for 91 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions in 2025.
Telefónica, MasOrange and Vodafone Spain are among the major broadband infrastructure investors.
Telefónica’s Bluevía network has passed more than 5 million premises.
Spain’s mature fiber market means investment is increasingly focused on network utilization, wholesale partnerships and maintaining infrastructure quality rather than large-scale first-time coverage expansion.
Global Fiber Investment Outlook
Europe’s FTTH/B networks passed approximately 295 million homes as of September 2025, an increase of 23 million from the previous year, according to the 2026 FTTH Council Europe Observatory.
The region’s fiber coverage reached approximately 79 percent.
Germany, Italy, Turkey and the United Kingdom accounted for much of the recent expansion, while more mature markets such as France and Spain increasingly focused on converting network availability into paying customers.
Across Europe, cumulative FTTH capital investment reached an estimated €371 per capita by the end of 2024, equivalent to €692 per premises. The figure was projected to increase to €433 per capita in 2025.
The investment outlook differs significantly across these 10 markets. China leads in network scale, the United States combines large operator budgets with federal funding, and India is undertaking one of the largest government-backed rural broadband expansion programs. Germany, the UK and Italy offer substantial opportunities for new FTTH construction, while France, Spain and Japan are increasingly mature markets.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH