An ETSI whitepaper sets out proposals for a standard way of expressing the state of fibre connectivity in a country or community.
In the paper Fibre Development Index: Driving Towards an F5G Gigabit Society ETSI says fibre is now pervasive in most telecom networks, fixed and mobile, and being deployed to serve society’s needs for enhanced broadband services in residential, business, and enterprise segments. Therefore, “It is highly relevant for governments, regulators, operators, manufacturers, and users to have a globally accepted index that can provide a holistic view of fibre development around the world.”
The white paper promises to “address the main driving forces for fibre investment, proposing a way forward for a fibre development index (FDI), including the definition of country clusters that present similar stages of development, requirements, and evolution paths.” It also proposes “some future directions, recommendations, and related actions.”
ETSI’s vision: the Gigabit Society
The F5G Gigabit Society is a reference to ETSI’s Industry Specification Group’s (ISG) Fifth Generation Fixed Network (F5G), which aims to “create the foundations for a structured approach to the evolution of the fixed network, establishing generational planning and promoting the expansion of a fifth-generation (F5G) network to as many sectors as possible.”
Central to the aims of F5G is the idea of fibre-to-the-everywhere-and-everything (FTTE), but it also embraces other complementary last-mile technologies such as WiFi 6/6E and 5G.
Government action needed
ETSI says the FDI will provide “a comprehensive way for countries to measure their fibre development across access, backhaul and core networks, creating an evolution path towards FTTE and a gigabit society.” And, “It is now critical that governments worldwide take the steps required to enable the communication companies in their countries to make investments in high-speed, fibre-based communication networks.”
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