Fiber-to-cellsite trend could minimize rural broadband deployment costs

Broadband Properties Magazine’s latest list of Independent telco fiber-to-the-home deployments turned up a new trend for this year. For the first time, the list shows several telcos that have deployed FTTH for wireless backhaul before actually extending fiber to any homes. The fiber-to-the-cellsite trend could have important implications for the Independent telco market. “Because many cell towers are in residential areas, serving cell towers entails placing a great deal of fiber very close to residences,” a feature story accompanying the list observes. And that reality, the author notes, could “radically change the business case for extending fiber to the home.”