The Fiber Broadband Association has partnered with Cartesian to research the cost of deploying fiber and provide insight on how these costs are evolving over time.
In preparing this second edition of the Fiber Deployment Cost report, Cartesian gathered inputs from a wide variety of firms building fiber networks across the nation. Research was conducted via phone interviews and online surveys in October and November 2024. Participants included network operators and contractors, with projects distributed across 32 individual states.
Selected highlights in this year’s study are presented below.
Underground deployments are most common despite being more expensive than aerial
Within the survey sample, 40% of respondents exclusively deployed fiber via underground deployments versus 16% who exclusively used aerial. Typical costs ranged from $10 to $27 per foot for underground deployments, compared to $5 to $14 for aerial deployments.
Labor is the primary component for deployment costs
The share of deployment costs attributable to labor costs range from 60 – 80%. The median labor cost for underground deployment was $13/foot versus $4/foot for aerial. Reported costs for internal labor were half those of outsourced labor.
Deployment cost varies widely with construction technique
For underground builds, plowing had the lowest reported median cost of $14.50/foot while trenching had the highest at $26.50/foot. For aerial deployments, participants reported similar costs for Strand and Lash versus ADSS cabling methods, at $6.75/foot and $6.55/foot, respectively.
Firms that own poles reported lower costs for aerial deployments than those seeking access
The median cost of aerial build among firms that have their own poles was $4.90/foot, compared to $7.00/foot for those firms renting poles from others.
Permits and make ready costs are key factors on everyone’s mind
Respondents noted longer delays obtaining permits for fiber builds, impacting overall project costs and timelines. For poles, respondents also noted that make ready costs and attachment fees have increased.
Expected cost increases for 2025 are predicted to be lower than 2024
While this year saw deployment costs increase compared to last year, the expectation going into 2025 is that this may cool down slightly. 25% of respondents expect a cost increase of greater than 10% to occur in 2025, compared to 41% of respondents who experienced such an increase in 2024.
