Fiber Broadband Association has revealed the size of the fiber broadband deployments in U.S. homes in 2024 and the future growth.
Fiber broadband deployments have reached 10.3 million U.S. homes passed in 2024. Including homes with more than one passing, there are now a total 88.1 million homes passed with fiber in the U.S., the Fiber Broadband Association said.
“The addressable FTTH market remaining is still very large assuming about 70 million first passings left (including household growth) and an estimated 80 million more second or third FTTH passings to go,” said Mike Render, Founder and CEO of RVA Market Research & Consulting.
Fiber deployment now passes 56.5 percent of U.S. households. Fiber take-rates increased slightly in 2024, growing to an average of over 45 percent based on unique passings. Service providers are now achieving their first 20 percent take rate in a much faster period and reaching higher take rates over time.
Among those customers churning in the past two years, fiber’s main competitor, HFC cable, had a net loss of 33 percent in areas where fiber was available. Cable will continue to see the migration of customers to fiber as well as cable providers replacing their legacy plant with fiber.
“Fiber provides the most reliable, high-quality broadband experience compared to alternative technologies, making fiber the clear choice to connect communities and close the digital divide,” said Deborah Kish, Vice President of Research and Workforce Development at the Fiber Broadband Association.
Investment in fiber will continue across private equity, mergers and acquisitions, capex reinvestment, and public funds. The 2025-2029 period could see more than a 50 percent increase in homes passed and more than a 100 percent increase in route miles to support homes passed.
Other markets — like data centers, middle mile, energy, quantum, and more — may keep the fiber industry strong for many years beyond the maturity of the FTTH boom.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
