Advisory Community Event: Vertical Cabling
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On September 19, 2024, MyConnectivity hosted its 7th Advisory Community Event, centered on vertical cabling and the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA). Held at the House of Start-Ups in Luxembourg, the event gathered over 40 telecom professionals to discuss the regulatory and infrastructural challenges faced by the sector.
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The event opened with a detailed session on the Gigabit Infrastructure Act led by six members of the European Commission’s GIA team. They discussed key topics such as access to physical infrastructure, the coordination of civil works, permit granting, and in-building physical infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of fair, non-discriminatory access and sustainable deployment of networks. The speaker elaborated that the under the new guidelines of the GIA, providing access and sharing the existing physical infrastructure to deploy fibre/5G has a direct impact on cost reduction. According to the new regulations, the operators (ECN/tower companies) can request access to network operators (ECN/tower companies/utilities), public bodies and the public bodies may define the categories of infrastructure and the request can be met at fair and reasonable terms and prices. The request could be refused only on fairgrounds e.g.: safety and public health, network integrity and security.
Viktor Dick, Head of Projects at MyConnectivity, introduced a plan for a National Vertical Cabling Register aimed at addressing telecom infrastructure gaps in multi-dwelling buildings. He stressed that this registry will accelerate the deployment of Very High-Capacity Networks (VHCN) and improve adoption rates, with a target release in 2025.
Additionally, Guillaume Rischard, geographer and data analyst, presented efforts to develop a reliable geographic dwelling database to enhance infrastructure management, despite challenges related to data formats and legal restrictions.
The Luxembourg National Data Service (LNDS) also contributed with a focus on data quality control, stressing the importance of standardized and curated data in improving efficiency and accuracy across the telecom sector.
Karim Habib, a Telecom Expert from MyConnectivity, shared insights from two years of experience visiting multi-dwelling buildings in Luxembourg. He emphasized the need for coordination among operators, ISPs, syndics, and communes to overcome the technical and logistical challenges of vertical cabling. While fiber may already be installed, issues like access restrictions, technical limitations, and delayed communication often slow the process, especially in older buildings.
David Alexandre, addressing cabling ownership in multi-dwelling buildings, clarified the legal and practical aspects of cabling ownership under the EU’s regulatory framework, particularly regarding ownership rights in shared spaces.
The event concluded with an interactive session where attendees raised questions about the future of copper infrastructure, cybersecurity, and other key topics, with discussions on the balance between copper and fiber in terms of physical security and durability.
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