Asian Fiber-to-the-Home in Hyper Growth, But Opportunities Vary Dramatically Between Regions
New Topic Paper from The Diffusion Group Predicts Asian FTTH will Grow Almost 10 Fold by 2010
April 3, 2006 Dallas, TX - A newly released topic paper from The Diffusion Group predicts that the number of
fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers in Asia will grow from 4.6 million in 2005 to more than 40 million by 2010 - then
accounting for as much as 25% of all Asian broadband subscribers in 2010. However, analysts caution that the business
case for FTTH deployments will be primarily urban and will vary dramatically in emerging markets. TDG's latest topic
paper, The Market for FTTH in Asia: Different Geographies, Varied Opportunities, is available for free download at
www.thediffusiongroup.com.
Fiber-to-the-Home Subscribers in Asia - 2002 to 2005
According to TDG's Frank Marum, the majority of FTTH deployments in Asia will be confined to areas where broadband
penetration is mature, bandwidth-hungry users continue to want more speed and governments provide incentives. FTTH
deployments will be primarily limited to urban areas where the most affluent, professional, and bandwidth-dependent
consumers reside in apartments or other multi-dwelling units. In such environments, user density is very high - a factor
that makes the FTTH business case much more attractive.
To help identify where and when these specific opportunities will emerge within Asia's developing and emerging markets,
TDG evaluated various deployment scenarios across suburban, urban and rural market segments. As well, a variety of
locale-specific factors such as labor rates and disposable income were added to the model - these variables play a
significant role in cost sensitivity analysis and ultimately determine which Asian regions cross the FTTH/DSL tipping
point at which time. TDG also analyzes the importance of regional incumbents, as they will be the an important factor in
determining (1) when the tipping point is reached, and (2) when mass rollouts are thus deemed attractive. "While high
levels of user density is important, it is the new revenues and consequently consumer ability to pay that make the
business proposition significantly more attractive to operators," says Marum. "This is the real "tipping point" for FTTH
industry - identifying the point at which the economics of deploying FTTH become more compelling than the economics of
deploying or upgrading DSL."
The material for TDG's latest topic paper is drawn from Fiber to the Home in Asia: Analysis & Forecasts, an extensive study of Asian's growing telecommunications market with a particular focus on the current
status of FTTH deployments and expected fiber deployments in China, India, Japan, South Korea, and other Asian nations.
The study also features an extensive business case analysis including OPEX and CAPEX projections; the market drivers and
inhibitors for global FTTH growth; and a detailed case study of a 100,000-user greenfield FTTH deployment.
To download TDG's latest topic paper, or for more information other TDG research, please visit
www.thediffusiongroup.com.
About The Diffusion Group (TDG)
The Diffusion Group is a strategic research and consulting firm focused on the new media and digital home markets. Using
a unique blend of consumer insights, executive-level consultants, and hands-on technical experts, we produce more than
just research - we create Intelligence in Action™. TDG is committed to providing market research and strategic
consulting services based on conservative, real-world analysis and forecasts grounded in consumer research.
For more information about The Diffusion Group, visit our website at www.thediffusiongroup.com.
ENDS