The FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home) Council Europe has announced the launch of its activities in the region by forming the ‘FTTH Council Europe Middle East Group’.

The FTTH Council Europe is a non profit organisation working to accelerate the availability of fibre-based, broadband access networks to consumers and businesses.

The ME Group, which was founded in Copenhagen last month, conducted its first official meeting on Monday in Manama. Today the group has 16 members from 12 companies.

The initiative represents the next step in a process of extending the successful market development activities of the FTTH Council Europe into the Middle East region, the council spokesperson said.

The Group is a working party of new Gulf-based and European Council members and will communicate the economic and social benefits of major FTTH deployments to the region.

Faris Awartani, chair of the FTTH Council Europe Middle East Group, said there was tremendous growth opportunity for FTTH in the Middle East.

“We expect the ME region to become one of the fastest growing telecommunication markets in the coming years. Hence the group has been created to collaborate on ways to encourage investment and communicate the advantages of FTTH,” Awartani remarked.

According to figures from the latest FTTH Council Europe ‘Market Panorama’  (conducted in association with IDATE), the Middle East market has significant growth potential.

As at the end of 2008, the entire Middle East region had 7,500 FTTH/B (Fibre-to-the-Home/ Fibre-to-the-Building) subscribers and a total of 62,000 FTTH/B homes passed. The total population for the region is estimated to be almost 200 million.

“We have been tracking the FTTH market in the Middle East for some time, and have set up this working group in response to the demands of several new Middle Eastern members,” commented Joeri Van Bogaert, president of the FTTH Council Europe.

“The tremendous interest in this first session has vindicated that decision, and we are already planning a second, larger event later this year,” he added.

The council has several top telecommunications companies and leaders in the telecommunications industry as its members. It is keen to promote this technology since it will deliver a flow of new services that will make a decisive difference in the lives of consumers and companies and create value for the wider society.-TradeArabia News Service