FTTH Warns Against False Fibre Advertising

The president of the FTTH Council Europe has warned telecoms ministers that misleading fibre advertising risks undermining the key objectives of incentivizing Very High Capacity Network investments.

The open letter from Ronan Kelly has been released ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council Meeting, which is due to adopt the new European Electronic Communications Code.

Says Kelly: “We are witnessing “fake fibre” advertising practices in several Member States using “fibre” or “fibre speeds” in advertisements for copper-based broadband, when the advertised product is not genuinely based on a full fibre connection.

“There is growing evidence that consumers are largely unaware of the form of internet connectivity they have bought, oftentimes due to the associated advertising.”

The code is designed to promote competition, the internal market, end-users’ benefits as well as connectivity, access to and take-up of Very High Capacity Networks by all EU citizens and businesses.

Kelly says FTTH Council Europe believes that the proper use of the word fibre in advertisements would empower consumers to make an informed choice and in turn have a beneficial effect on the take-up of Very High Capacity Networks.― SatSupreme