Following the publication of an advisory report, Fibre-to-the-Room: Is There Room for FTTR?, examining the outlook for FTTR and why adoption remains heavily concentrated in China, despite growing global operator experimentation, Yousef Almadani, Senior Analyst, Telecom Technology and Software at GlobalData, an intelligence and productivity platform, offers his view:

“FTTR is the latest step in the ‘fibre-to-the-x’ evolution, extending fibre into individual rooms, but the global market reality is starkly uneven. At MWC Shanghai 2025, Huawei estimated around 75 million FTTR users in China compared to roughly 500,000 elsewhere. That gap is not about awareness or vendor availability; it is primarily about economics and installation friction in markets where engineer visits are expensive,” said Almadani.

“Outside of China, FTTR competes against cheaper solutions, easier to self-install, and good enough for most households, namely Wi-Fi mesh systems and Ethernet cabling. Ethernet remains highly DIY-friendly and capable of supporting far more bandwidth than most residential users require. FTTR’s strongest differentiators are therefore not just presented as promising higher speeds, but improved reliability, more consistent in-room performance, and a neater installation. This is an appealing offer for premium users who want seamless coverage without unsightly visible surface cabling. Operator propositions globally reflect FTTR’s niche status. It is typically sold as a premium add-on, bundled into higher-tier gigabit packages, or priced via monthly recurring fees,” he continued.

“Over the next phase, FTTR’s biggest potential catalyst is not a sudden need for multi-gigabit in every room, but a shift in delivery models. If the ecosystem evolves toward simpler, more DIY-oriented deployments, supported by emerging consumer fiber kits and easier-to-source premises equipment, FTTR could broaden beyond early adopters. Until then, FTTR will remain a specialist solution, attractive to a narrow segment, vendor-driven, and far from mainstream in most markets,” concluded Almadani.

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Tags: china, fibre, fttr, globaldata