The concept of extending fiber to the home (FTTH) was considered a possibility over a quarter of a century ago. However, interest in it has run hot and cold over the ensuing years, partially because of the economic issues involved and partially because of the lack of mature technologies to implement FTTH. The latest round of interest began in 2003 with FTTH deployments in Japan, the United States, Korea, and several European countries. Carriers in China have also begun some FTTH trial runs. However, the deployment this time is different: The technology is being applied to practical applications. By the end of 2005, it is estimated that Japan has more than 5,000,000 FTTH subscribers, the U.S. has 3,000,000 subscribers, and Europe has approximately 1,000,000 subscribers. South Korea will start commercial deployment this year. In China, the growth rate of broadband subscribers is high and sustained. This is providing a much firmer and realistic foundation for FTTH deployment. In order to help component manufacturers and equipment manufacturers to capture the opportunities in this market, Lightwave China is organizing the FTTH Conference China 2006 to be held concurrently with the 8th CIOE exhibition in Shenzhen.