Study: Telcos face dilemma on when to cut over from DSL to FTTH

When it comes to competing against cable operators’ DOCSIS 3.0-based data services, telcos are hamstrung by the limitations of their DSL offerings, but wading into the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) waters is an expensive proposition.

According to a recent study by ABI Research, broadband over DSL was delivered to more than 367 million subscribers worldwide last year. On the plus side, advanced forms of DSL require a fraction of the investment when compared to the network upgrades that are needed for FTTH, but FTTH offers 10 times the bandwidth when compared to advanced DSL technologies. “Financial instability in the advanced economies of Western Europe and lack of innovative Internet video services force telcos to look into the cost-to-value proposition delivered by making large-scale investments into FTTH,” said Adarsh Krishnan, senior analyst of TV and video at ABI Research.