FTTH Business Guide - AWT.be

Passive sharing
While this model can be considered a form of infrastructural competition, it
leverages a single passive infrastructure, which is built and maintained by one
owner. The active and services layers are owned by a different organisation. A
second service provider may share the same passive infrastructure with the first
service provider, but will still have to invest in active network equipment and
operations as well as the services and go-to-market activities. Typically, this
model goes hand in hand with regulatory requirements for passive wholesaling.
Active sharing
In the active sharing model a single organisation owns the passive infrastructure
and operates the active network. This vertical infrastructure owner wholesales
broadband access to the various retail service providers who will then compete
against each other for customers. The regulatory framework associated with this
operator model regulates active wholesale specifically, and seeks to encourage
service competition.
Full separation
Full separation, as was already mentioned above, partitions the ownership of the
different layers. Each layer is owned by a different player, with the infrastructure
owner generating income by providing passive infrastructure access to the
network operator, who in turn wholesales broadband access to retail service
providers. This model stimulates competition at the services level and goes hand
in hand with regulatory requirements for passive and active wholesaling.
Figure 4: FTTH operator models and regulation
22 www.ftthcouncil.eu