Multi-gig LAN ports and Wi-Fi 7: next-generation broadband CPE are entering European homes

With a growing number of European operators advertising multi-gig internet plans, a new generation of broadband CPE has to roll out across consumers’ homes to enable these 2Gbps, 5Gbps and even 10Gbps services. Gateways need to support faster connectivity, heavier applications and a rapidly growing number of connected devices in each home. Meanwhile, as fiber infrastructure rollout progresses across Europe and brings multi-gig networks to people’s homes, in-home devices need to integrate LAN ports that support more than 1Gbps. Supporting multi-gig LAN ports to bring fiber networks light-speed capabilities on end devices  Fiber networks in Europe are connecting a rapidly growing number of households, with fiber connections reaching 125 million households across the continent at the end of 2023 and expected to pass the 150 million bar by 2025, growing from 45% to 53% of all broadband connections in the region over the period.  In highly fiberized markets like Spain, FTTH networks already reached 80% of households at the end of last year, which pushed local ISPs to equip their customers with multi-gig-enabled devices, like Digi and Orange did by rolling out XGS-PON fiber gateways integrating a 10Gbps LAN ports.  In Switzerland, where a dozen ISPs are already offering 10Gbps broadband plans, local customers get equipped with gateways with a 10Gbps LAN port like Salt’s Fiber Box (Arcadyan), Swisscom’s Internet Box 4 (Arcadyan), or Sunrise’s Connect Box 3 (Sagemcom). Most tier-2 operators are working with AVM and offering their 2.5Gbps LAN port-equipped FRITZ!Box. All those devices support Wi-Fi 6 and Swiss ISPs are yet to switch to the wireless latest standard. In Germany, Telefonica O2 and Vodafone are already rolling out AVM’s 2.5Gbps LAN ports-equipped gateways, along with a growing number of tier-2 operators. Deutsche Telekom’s last Speedport, rolled out since 2021, is only equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and 1Gbps LAN ports. But the German market is also singular in Europe due to its low fiber penetration: lower than 30% at end 2023, for a fiber subscription take-up rate standing at just one-third of connected households. With such low volumes, 1Gbps fiber plans can only be offered to a limited number of consumers and multi-gig plans are yet to arrive on the German market. If the retail market saw an influx of Wi-Fi 6E home networking appliances since 2021, most operators and vendors are expected to switch from Wi-Fi 6 to 7 directly. That’s what Iliad did with the launch of the 9th Freebox, the Freebox Ultra, last January. This positioned France as the first market in which the last generation of Wi-Fi standards has been made available for residential gateways in Western Europe. Orange and Bouygues have launched Wi-Fi 6E gateways in 2022, the Livebox 6 and the BBox...