Fiber Deployment Annual Report

The Fiber Broadband Association partnered with Cartesian to research the cost of fiber deployment and provide insight on how costs are evolving over time. While no two deployment projects are alike, we found many common themes:

• The cost per foot of aerial deployment is less than half that of underground- Typical costs ranged from $11 to $24 per foot for underground deployment, and $4 to $9 per foot for aerial deployment
• Labor accounts for over two-thirds of build costs- The average split was 73% labor, 27% materials for underground construction, and 67% labor, 33% materials for aerial construction
• Population density has a large impact on the cost per foot of underground builds- This generally held true for aerial deployments also, with a median of $5.00/ft for rural and $6.54/ft for urban areas
• Building in rocky areas costs twice as much as laying fiber in soft earth- Underground deployment had a median cost of $10/ft in soft earth, but twice that in rocky terrain at $20/ft
• Where available, a choice of construction method can reduce cost- Trenching had the lowest reported median cost, and plowing the highest
• The Western states had the highest cost ranges- Northeast had the lowest typical costs
• Anticipated cost increases expected to cool slightly- While 46% of respondents reported “significant” cost increases in 2023, only 24% expect the same in 2024