Fiber Now Reaches 42.5% of US Businesses

According to the yearly statflash by Vertical Systems Group, metro fiber passed the 40% threshold this year. Fiber penetration into commercial buildings with 20+ employees has now reached 42.5%, moving up strongly from 39.3% last year. Five years ago, the figure stood at 22.9% of such buildings, a number which we may even officially double in 2016.

The solid rate of fiber uptake is about the same as in the prior year, which saw an increase from 36.1%. The progress reflects buildout efforts across the spectrum, as ILECs, CLECs, and cable operators have all been putting FTTB fiber in the ground at a strong, steady pace.

Of course, that still means that 57.5% of those buildings still get their bandwidth from the likes of copper and occasionally microwave. The penetration rate is much higher in large cities, but rather lower when you get out into less populated areas. At some point, all the easy targets will be hooked up and the penetration rate will necessarily decelerate, but hopefully not for a few years yet.

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Categories: Metro fiber