Openreach, the UK’s largest wholesale broadband network, is back in the news with some exciting updates. They’ve just announced plans to roll out ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to 517 more locations across the UK (through their latest build plan). That’s another 2.7 million homes and businesses set to get a serious connectivity upgrade.
Now, this isn’t just for the city slickers. Openreach is hitting up some of the most rural spots in the UK. We’re talking about places like Tobermory in Scotland, Haworth in West Yorkshire, Saundersfoot in South Wales, Pinxton in Derbyshire, Harlow in Essex, Southampton in Hampshire, and Roborough in Devon. Yep, they’re spreading the fibre love far and wide.
This is all part of Openreach’s massive £15 billion project to overhaul the UK’s broadband infrastructure. Their goal? To get gigabit-capable technology to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026. That includes 6.2 million in rural areas. And guess what? They’re on track and on budget. In fact, they’re so confident that they’re aiming for 30 million premises by the end of the decade, assuming the investment climate stays friendly.
Clive Selley, the big boss at Openreach, is pretty chuffed about their progress. He’s calling it a UK infrastructure success story. “We’re on track and on budget to make this life-changing broadband technology available to 25 million homes and businesses,” he said. “No company is building faster or further in Europe, that we’re aware of.”
And they’re not stopping there. They’ve got plans to reach right across the UK, from bustling cities to remote farms and island communities. Clive is confident in their ability to deliver consistently and rapidly, despite the complexity of the project. They’re being more transparent than ever about their build plans, sharing detailed updates on where and when they’re building next.
Openreach is laying down their next-gen network to more than 78,000 premises every week. That’s like connecting a town the size of Wakefield every week! Another home or business could be ordering a new Full Fibre service every six seconds. That’s some serious speed.
So far, around 3,500 towns, cities, boroughs, villages, and hamlets are included in the build programme. And as the network grows, so does the demand for this game-changing technology. Over 4.7 million homes and businesses have already made the switch to Full Fibre through various communications providers on the Openreach network. With more than 50,000 orders per week, the demand just keeps growing.
To keep everyone in the loop, Openreach has updated their online map and postcode checker. Now, the public can get a clearer, regularly updated view of Openreach’s plans and progress up to 2026. The map shows current and future Full Fibre coverage levels, while the postcode checker offers a personalized view of connectivity options for individual homes and businesses. More updates will come as new locations are added.
And here’s another tidbit: the new map data will also highlight exchanges where Openreach has stopped selling legacy copper products because Full Fibre is available to most premises (over 75%). By this summer, these ‘stop sell’ rules will apply to more than 700 exchanges, covering around six million premises.
So, there you have it. Openreach is not just laying down fibre; they’re laying down the future. Stay tuned for more updates as they continue to push the UK’s broadband capabilities to new heights.
