FTTH is already the main method of accessing broadband services throughout Spain.
According to data published by the regulator CNMC, a total of 5.9 million new FTTH accesses were installed in 2019, with 86% of these in municipalities with between 1,000 and half a million inhabitants. XDSL remained the main mode of access to broadband only in municipalities with a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants.
Reflecting recent trends, the number of FTTH accesses in use in December 2019 reached 10 million, or 18.2% more than the 8.5 million a year earlier.
In the municipalities of Madrid and Barcelona, the share of active FTTH accesses reached 82.6% and 82.5% of total broadband accesses respectively.
Furthermore, in population centres with more than 5 million inhabitants, the percentage of active FTTH accesses exceeded 57% of total broadband accesses.
On the other hand, in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, the FTTH access quota exceeded the national average, which stood at 66.5%.
The percentage of new generation accesses (HFC and FTTH) of alternative operators increased in all municipalities. The most notable increases occurred in towns with between 1,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, which increased the share by more than nine percentage points. Movistar’s market share showed, on average, a slight decrease in all municipalities with the exception of municipalities with a population of less than 1,000 inhabitants.
On the other hand, in municipalities with a population size of between 10,000 and a million inhabitants, Movistar’s quota was below the national average (39.2 lines per 100 inhabitants).
In the case of Barcelona and Madrid, Movistar’s share was above the national average, but with a decrease of one percentage point in the last year.
