Fiber-to-the-Home Cost Calculator

Per-subscriber FTTH cost from density and distance.

Homes passed

Take rate (%)

Distance from CO (km)

Homes per route-km

Construction Method

PON split ratio

Tab to move between fields

Cost per home passed ($)

$2,055.00

≈ 16 pairs of sneakers

Cost per subscriber ($)$5,137.00

Total project cost ($)$1,027,367.00

Expected subscribers200

Construction cost ($)$758,333.00

Equipment cost ($)$118,200.00

Fiber cable cost ($)$150,833.00

Total fiber route (km)21.67

PON ports needed16

Est. payback (months)122.3

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the number of homes to be served and the average distance between homes in meters.
Set the terrain difficulty: easy (urban grid), moderate (suburban), or difficult (rural/hilly).
Input the cost per meter of trench and fiber installation.
Review the Total Infrastructure Cost and Cost Per Home Passed.
Compare the Cost Per Home Passed against the addressable market revenue to evaluate project viability.

How the result changes with Homes per route-km

Homes passed: Total number of homes in the service area that fiber will pass.
Take rate (%): Percentage of homes expected to subscribe. Typical: 30-50% initially.
Distance from CO (km): Average distance from Central Office to the service area in km.
Homes per route-km: Home density along the distribution route. Urban: 60-100, suburban: 20-40, rural: 5-15.
Construction Method: Select fiber construction method
PON split ratio: Optical splitter ratio (1:N). Common: 32 for GPON, 64 for XGS-PON.

Cost per home passed ($): Total project cost divided by homes passed — key industry benchmark.
Cost per subscriber ($): Total cost divided by expected subscribers at the given take rate.
Total project cost ($): Sum of all equipment, cable, and construction costs.
Expected subscribers: Homes passed multiplied by take rate.
Construction cost ($): Trenching, boring, or aerial placement labor and materials.
Equipment cost ($): OLT, splitters, and ONT hardware.
Fiber cable cost ($): Feeder, distribution, and drop cable materials.
Total fiber route (km): Combined feeder and distribution route length.
PON ports needed: Number of OLT PON ports based on split ratio.
Est. payback (months): Rough payback period assuming $70/mo ARPU at 60% margin.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Homes passed = 500, Take rate (%) = 40, Distance from CO (km) = 5, Homes per route-km = 30 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Cost per home passed
Cost per home passed = totalCost / homesPassed
2055 = $2,055
Calculate Cost per subscriber
5137 = $5,137
Calculate Total project cost
Total project cost = oltTotalCost + feederCost + totalSplitterCost + distributionCost + totalDropC...
1027367 = $1,027,367