Report: Fibre, 5G drive OECD digital transformation |
demand for high-quality and reliable broadband access.
The past five years have been
|
Gbps – have increased 4.5 times in five years, from 4 per cent in 2019 to 19 per cent in 2024. |
broadband penetration reached 36.5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants on average by the |
|
marked by socio-economic |
Moreover, average monthly |
end of 2024, up from 32 in 2019. |
Between 2019 and 2024, OECD |
transformations that have |
data consumption per mobile |
The share of fibre in total fixed |
( Organisation for Economic |
increased the demand for high- |
subscription grew 2.5-fold in the |
broadband subscriptions across |
Co-operation and Development) |
quality digital connectivity. This |
same period, from 6 GB at the |
the OECD reached 47 per cent by |
economies have seen rapid |
includes for example remote work |
end of 2019 to 15 GB in 2024, |
the end of 2024, up from 28 per |
advances in fibre, 5G mobile |
as well as maturing technologies |
highlighting the shift toward |
cent in 2019. |
networks, fixed wireless access |
such as generative AI, immersive |
data-driven mobility and next- |
In five OECD Member |
( FWA) and satellite broadband. |
technologies and the Internet of |
generation connectivity in OECD |
countries, the share of fibre |
The pandemic highlighted how |
Things( IoT). |
countries. |
over total fixed broadband |
digital connectivity has become |
The share of Gigabit offers in |
|
|
Fibre is a key enabler of digital |
subscriptions exceeded the 80 % |
critical infrastructure and acted |
OECD markets – fixed broadband |
infrastructure and the rise of 5G |
threshold: Iceland( 93 %), Korea |
as a catalyst by accelerating the |
subscriptions with advertised |
networks |
( 90.5 %), Spain( 89 %), Finland |
|
speeds equal to or exceeding 1 |
Across the OECD, fixed |
( 81.6 %) and Lithuania( 80.7 %). |
“ We are creating a scaled and financially secure wholesale challenger to BT Openreach.” – Mike Fries, Liberty Global.
copper networks, and enabling the digital ecosystems built on top of fibre, from cloud and data centre interconnection to emerging technologies such as AI, immersive media and advanced industrial automation.” COPPER. A separate report from the Council suggests that copper switch-off is progressing unevenly across Europe. The Copper Switch- Off Tracker, developed in cooperation with Cullen International, analyses the situation and progress towards deactivating legacy copper networks across 27 EU Member States, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland, highlighting developments observed during 2025.
The analysis shows that while the transition away from copper is advancing, progress remains uneven across Europe. Norway and Spain have completed the copper switch-off, with incumbent operators fully deactivating their legacy copper networks. In Greece, the incumbent operator has stopped activating new copper lines in certain areas, signalling a further step towards copper decommissioning.
Within incumbent operators’ networks, the share of fibre in total active access lines increased on average from 53 % to 62 %
14 EUROMEDIA across the countries analysed. This figure reflects the growing replacement of copper by fibre in incumbents’ infrastructures, but does not represent overall national FTTH penetration, which also depends on alternative operators’ deployments. Significant disparities persist in countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic, incumbent operators continue to rely heavily on copper networks. TRANSPARENCY. Planning transparency remains limited. In nine countries, copper switch-off plans are publicly available, while in others, including Portugal, such plans exist but are not publicly disclosed. In Ireland, discussions between the national regulatory authority and the incumbent operator are at an advanced stage, although no formal plan has yet been published.
From a regulatory perspective, the study confirms that no national regulatory authority has set a binding deadline for copper switch-off in any of the countries reviewed. However, in several markets – including Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Sweden, incumbent operators have announced voluntary target dates to complete the switch-off process.
Under the current regulatory framework, national regulatory authorities cannot oblige operators to switch off their copper networks nor impose mandatory timelines. However, the proposed Digital Networks Act( DNA), if adopted, would significantly reshape the regulatory framework and could accelerate copper switch-off plans in several countries, by providing greater flexibility and incentives for operators to migrate fully to fibre-based networks.
“ Having a clear and orderly plan towards copper switch off will drive further investments and accelerate full adoption of fibre networks across Europe,” said Nonno.“ As our report shows, these conditions are not yet met in all European markets.”
“ The FTTH Council Europe positively welcomes the plan for the switch-off of copper networks, as proposed in the Digital Network Act. The process strikes the right balance between the need to incentivise the take-up of future-proof networks, the necessity to consider national specificities, and avoiding unintended consequences for consumers,” added Garnier.