The development of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks in Greece continues at high speed, with telecommunications providers gradually expanding the coverage of their networks to more and more areas of the country.
The picture of the market, the targets for network development and the next steps were presented by executives of DEI FiberGrid, OTE, Nova and Inalan, as part of the Advanced Telecoms Summit 2026, which was organized at the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Center by Verticom, in collaboration with Content Intelligence.
DEI FiberGrid
DEI FiberGrid is recording a significant acceleration in the development of its optical fiber network, which aims to reach 2 million commercially available homes by the end of the year, with the overall plan providing for coverage of 3.8 million households and businesses by 2028.
As noted by the CEO of DEI FiberGrid, Nikos Panopoulos, a year ago the company's network numbered approximately 600,000 commercially available homes and businesses in 13 municipalities.
One year later, the picture has changed significantly. “We are announcing 1.5 million connections in the databases, that is, coverage of 1.5 million homes and businesses in 52 municipalities of the country,” Mr. Panopoulos stressed.
According to him, the company currently covers approximately 450,000 buildings, a figure to which it gives particular weight, as it is related to the cost of network development. By the end of the year it aims to cover 690,000 buildings.
Mr. Panopoulos underlined that, based on the development trajectory, FiberGrid is expected by the end of the year to have the second largest FTTH network in the country, while it is moving ahead toward the completion of the project in 2028. Asked whether FiberGrid plans to offer connections with speeds higher than 2.5 Gbps, he explained that this will depend on market demand.
“Obviously we will go with whatever the market asks for. We can provide everything, the issue is what the market wants,” he stressed.
OTE
For its part, OTE, which has the largest optical fiber network in the country, continues the development of FTTH, having already exceeded 2.2 million lines.
According to the Chief Technology Officer of OTE Group, Giorgos Tsonis, the target is 2.4 million lines by the end of the year. As he clarified, if the 2.2 million lines are translated into homes and businesses, they correspond to more than 3 million.
As regards speeds, Mr. Tsonis explained that OTE has a 10 Gbps network, while today it offers speeds of up to 3 Gbps. At the same time, he revealed that OTE has submitted an application to the regulatory authorities for a speed of 8 Gbps, expressing the estimate that it will be approved by the end of the year and that it will be available at the beginning of next year.
OTE's long-term target provides for 3.5 million lines by the end of 2030, which correspond to more than 4.5 million homes and businesses.
Today, OTE has wired and has active subscribers in 370,000 buildings, while its network has passed through approximately 750,000–760,000 buildings. Active optical fiber customers amount to 730,000, representing approximately 30% of its broadband customers.
Of these, 580,000 subscribers are served through OTE's infrastructure and 150,000 through the infrastructure of other providers. Correspondingly, hundreds of thousands of customers of other providers use OTE's infrastructure.
At the same time, in areas where FTTH has not yet reached, the group offers Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services through the mobile network, with more than 110,000 subscribers and speeds of up to 300 Mbps.
Nova
At Nova, on the other hand, the development of the FTTH network is now close to completion, with the company shifting the focus to the utilization of existing infrastructure and increasing penetration.
The company has already achieved the target of 950,000 Homes Passed, as explained by the Chief Technology Officer of Nova Telecommunications & Media, Manolis Grigorakis. Of these, 70% are in buildings where the in-building infrastructure, the so-called Phase B, has also been completed, with the result that they are ready for customer connection or are already connected.
For the next period, Nova's priority is the increase in the adoption of optical fiber connections and the better utilization of existing networks.
As Mr. Grigorakis said, although FTTH availability is close to 70%, the actual adoption of the technology stands at 30%-32%. The company's goal is to increase penetration, among other things through bundled mobile, fixed and broadband data products.
At the same time, Nova has approximately 80,000 Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) customers, using the technology to overcome obstacles related to installation time in buildings, but also to cover seasonal or permanent needs in areas where there is no FTTH.
Vodafone
Vodafone also continues the development of its own FTTH network. As the Chief Network Officer of Vodafone Greece, Nikos Plevris, said, the company's network had reached 620,000 Homes Passed in June, with a target of 850,000 by the end of 2027, even leaving open the possibility that the plan may be completed earlier.
Asked whether Vodafone's potential cooperation with DEI could alter this specific target, Mr. Plevris clarified that Vodafone's existing development plan remains independent. He also clarified that the proposal is still in the evaluation process and will have to go through the prescribed regulatory procedures.
“I believe that this potential cooperation is a strategic investment, at least for Vodafone, in the sense that it positions us differently overall in the telecommunications space,” he stressed, explaining that such a move would allow Vodafone to play a broader role in the infrastructure sector and not only in retail.
Inalan
Inalan also continues the development of its network, having exceeded 1.3 million Homes Passed, having covered 50% of the target of 2.6 million by 2032.
As said by Inalan's Public Affairs Manager, Ioannis Papadimos, the company started 12 years ago to build an autonomous Fiber to the Home network without copper, while since 2019 it has had the support of Fiera Infrastructure.
In Thessaloniki, Inalan's network now covers 88% of the population, while the company continues its expansion in Athens and has already started the construction of its network in Chania.
The transition from copper to optical fiber
Particular reference was also made to the need to accelerate the transition from copper networks to optical fiber, as the development of the new infrastructure is progressing, but FTTH penetration remains lower.
From OTE's side, Giorgos Tsonis set as the next step the copper switch-off, that is, the gradual abolition of copper networks. “We want to move forward with the copper switch-off. We want to start taking out the copper networks”, he said, linking the process with the further spread of optical fiber throughout the country.
On the same issue, Nikos Panopoulos also focused, pointing out that by 2028 the development of FTTH networks will have progressed significantly, however the technology adoption rate remains low.
“The investments have come first and that is how it should be, the investments are ahead, but we must gradually move from the era of copper to the era of optical fiber,” he stressed.
As he underlined, the issue is to create the appropriate conditions in the market around 2030, so that the abolition of copper is accelerated and the new infrastructure is utilized. “With what I see today, we are moving quite slowly. We must accelerate. We must create other prerequisites so that we accelerate,” he concluded.