For years, broadband security has been discussed primarily in terms of network infrastructure: core resilience, access network protection, and compliance at scale. Yet from the consumer’s perspective, security does not stop at the fiber handover point. It starts and is tested inside the home.
From the operator’s perspective, security responsibility has been defined up to the network edge: the demarcation point where the access network meets customer premises equipment. Architecturally, this boundary makes sense. For consumers, the network edge is an abstract concept. They do not know where it is, how it works, or why it matters. What they care about is whether their broadband connection is safe, reliable, and trustworthy.
While security controls may formally end at the network edge, customer trust does not. As fiber moves deeper into the home, the gateway is increasingly becoming an extension of the operator’s network rather than a separate customer domain.
Security is experienced at home
According to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) Threat Landscape 2024 report, consumer-grade routers and home gateways are among the most frequently exploited devices in large-scale attacks, often due to outdated firmware or poor credentials. A UK broadband security survey found that 69% of users had never changed their router’s default Wi-Fi password, and 84% had never updated their router firmware.
The implications for operators are significant. Consumers are often unaware that their home network has been compromised until performance degrades, devices behave strangely, or personal accounts are affected. When incidents occur, consumers do not distinguish between third-party vendors, application issues, or device misconfigurations. They call their service provider.
Considering add-on security services
The broadband industry has been offering over-the-top home security services, including antivirus subscriptions, advanced parental controls, and smart home protection bundles. But their commercial impact has been limited.
Adoption rates for paid over-the-top security services mirror those of other broadband add-ons, such as premium smart home or home alarm services, often remaining below 20%.
Optional, over-the-top (OTT) security offerings typically reach only a small fraction of consumers. Expectations, however, are universal. Consumers may not actively subscribe to protection, but they assume their connection is secure by default. When this assumption shows otherwise, customer satisfaction and brand reputation are at risk.
Managing blind spots in the home fiber journey
In conversations with operators across Europe, there are some common challenges they face:
1. Treating security primarily as an OTT offering
When protection is optional, most home networks remain exposed to basic risks, despite being connected to high-performance fiber networks.
2. Focusing on the hardware origin instead of software governance
Supply chain discussions often concentrate on where devices are manufactured. In practice, most vulnerabilities emerge in software.
3. Limited transparency into software development practices
Operators do not always have clear visibility into how gateway software is developed, reviewed, tested, and maintained across its lifecycle.
4. Underestimating the security role of Wi-Fi
For customers, Wi-Fi is the broadband service. Weak Wi-Fi security undermines even the most resilient access network.
Software is defining security
For modern home networks, hardware for routers and gateways for consumers and enterprises is largely manufactured by Original Design Manufacturers based in Asia. Chipsets, boards, and components are sourced globally, assembled across regions, and standardized at scale. The true differentiator is the software.
This shifts the security conversation away from where a device is manufactured and toward more strategic questions:
- Where is the gateway software developed?
- Who governs it and how is it maintained?
- Is it based on an operating system with broad adoption and continuous peer review?
- Is the software continuously reviewed, tested, and updated?
We implicitly trust the software in our cars, our laptops, and our phones because we believe the companies behind them take responsibility for secure development. The home gateway deserves the same level of scrutiny, if not more, because it sits at the center of a digital home.
Open standards and open source strengthen resilience
Europe’s push for greater digital self-sufficiency has renewed attention to open standards, open interfaces, and open-source collaboration. From a security perspective, this direction makes sense as well.
Open-source software is not less secure because it is open. It is often more secure because it is continuously reviewed by many eyes, rather than hidden behind proprietary walls. When combined with disciplined governance and secure integration practices, it is a strong foundation for resilient home broadband infrastructure.
This approach also supports interoperability, future-proofing, and regulatory alignment, key considerations for operators planning networks with lifespans measured in decades. In addition, recent EU security requirements extend compliance expectations beyond electromagnetic safety to include software integrity and cybersecurity by design.
The Genexis software approach
Our ISO 27001-certified approach is software-based and embedded throughout our product lifecycle. We protect customer premises equipment with proactive lifecycle management, ensuring security from design and deployment to decommissioning. The secure development processes prevent vulnerabilities, and regular security patches, firmware updates, and continuous monitoring strengthen network resilience. By building on an open, European-developed operating system with defined governance and secure development practices, operators gain transparency into how Genexis gateways are built and maintained. Baseline security capabilities are designed into standard deployment and run automatically without requiring consumer activation.
At the same time, Genexis’ open interfaces and container-based architectures ensure operators remain future-proof, with the flexibility to support third-party applications and new services where it makes commercial sense.
Turning the home into a security advantage
Securing the last meter of FTTH is about recognizing that the gateway has become a strategic asset, one that intersects with network performance, customer experience, and digital trust.
Operators that embed baseline security by default, build on open and well-governed software platforms, and manage FTTH holistically will be better positioned to reduce the risk of incidents and reputational damage, simplify operations, improve digital trust, and introduce new services with confidence.
In a fiber-first future, differentiation will not be defined by speed alone. It will be shaped by resilience, trusted partners, and the ability to deliver a safe and secure experience where it matters most: at home.
