Open Access Fiber Networks in Europe - Regulatory Frameworks and Initiatives

Telecommunications markets in Europe are currently going through major infrastructure separation trends, both on mobile markets with towercos or on the fixed market with the creation of wholesale pure players for fiber networks.

There has recently been a strong institutional push towards the ‘Open Access model’, including in the European Electronic Communications Code, adopted in 2018. It is perceived as grounds for equal access for wholesale customers in the light of the significant investments required by fiber deployments, which could be prohibitive for new entrants and impair competition levels.

Starting with a definition of the open access model and its specificities compared to a standard wholesale player, this report provides a situational analysis and a typology of open access initiatives in Europe. Through a study of four representative application cases, it then provides the reader with analytical keys to examine many aspects of the core issue:

• Is open access the way forward for fiber deployments?