The town of Banbury is witnessing a transformative wave in its digital landscape as Openreach accelerates the delivery of ultrafast Full Fibre broadband. The Honourable Victoria Prentis KC MP, representing Banbury, recently visited the town to witness the innovative engineering techniques employed in this ambitious connectivity project.
Banbury’s Full Fibre broadband journey began in July 2020 when Openreach included it in its full fibre build plan. Since then, Openreach engineers have been diligently working in Banbury, as well as in other locations across Oxfordshire, including Thame, Wantage, Bicester, and Witney. This extensive project, with an investment of £4.7 million from Openreach, has already reached nearly 60% of homes and businesses in the Banbury exchange area. Furthermore, tens of thousands more in various locations across Oxfordshire are set to benefit from this ultrafast broadband initiative.
During her visit, MP Victoria Prentis received an up-close look at the ongoing work and was able to explore the local exchange, where the Openreach network begins. She gained valuable insights into the intricate world of fibre optics and how Full Fibre is set to future-proof connections for decades to come.
Victoria Prentis KC, MP for Banbury, emphasized the significance of this infrastructure upgrade, stating, “This infrastructure upgrade is providing our community with faster and more reliable broadband – supporting local businesses and keeping residents connected.” She noted the positive impact on local businesses and residents and praised the work being done by Openreach.
The visit was orchestrated by Kasam Hussain, Openreach’s regional partnership manager, who highlighted the dedication of Openreach engineers to keeping communities across Oxfordshire and the wider region connected. He emphasized the challenges and realities of delivering advanced broadband technology.
Openreach’s Full Fibre network offers remarkable advantages, boasting download speeds of 1Gbps, which is up to ten times faster than the average home broadband connection. This translates to faster game downloads, superior quality video calls, and higher resolution streaming. The network’s robustness allows multiple devices to operate simultaneously without slowdown, making it ideal for households with multiple online activities happening simultaneously.
Additionally, Full Fibre is less susceptible to peak-time congestion, ensuring a seamless entertainment experience even during the busiest online hours.
Openreach is steadfastly working to extend its ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband network to 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, marking a significant stride toward transforming the digital landscape of the UK.
