Fiber to the Home and Competition: Developments in the Netherlands & Canada

Abstract:     
This study provides preliminary insights into how fiber to the home (FTTH) networks affect competition in the broadband Internet access market, and how, and if, competition on FTTH networks can be sustained. This study focuses on both the Netherlands and Canada, the former being one of the fastest growing FTTH markets with regulation geared towards stimulating open access by mandating unbundling, and the latter being a market with no regulation in place regarding FTTH and limited rollout to date. Even though it is too early to paint a full picture of developments in the competitive landscape, early findings suggest that in markets that are competitive prior to FTTH rollout, regulatory interventions including unbundling policies have positive effects on rollout, and may also stimulate facilities based competition. However, the extent to which service based competition on FTTH networks will develop remains a question at this point.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 21

Keywords: FTTH, broadband, Netherlands, Canada, open access, regulation, competition

Accepted Paper Series