Openreach, the company wholly owned by BT that builds and runs the UK's broadband network, has announced a milestone in its upgrade of the UK's full fiber broadband infrastructure. As a result, Openreach's largest full-fiber broadband network is now available to 10 million homes, businesses and public services. Earlier in February, Ofcom said full fiber is set to reach half of UK Homes in March.
Also Read: Full Fibre to Reach Half of UK Homes Next Month: Ofcom
Full Fiber Roll out across the Country
The rollout of Full Fibre broadband across the country is part of the ambitious 15 billion GBP infrastructure project to provide reliable, fast broadband that meets the needs of the current day lifestyle. Openreach shared that the location of the 10 millionth fiber rollout is in Ketton, Rutland, in the East Midlands of England.
Equinox 2 offer
Openreach's broadband network is an entirely wholesale network used by service providers, including BT. On December 14, 2022, Openreach notified Ofcom of new pricing arrangements for its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services (the 'Equinox 2 offer'). Openreach intends to introduce the new terms on April 1, 2023. However, the regulator, Ofcom, is of the view that Openreach could set commercial terms that undermine new network rollouts and is reviewing the pricing.
Openreach Infrastructure
According to the company, Openreach has made Full Fibre available to over 9,000 medical facilities, including GP surgeries, hospitals and research labs nationwide. The company has also made Full Fibre available to over 13,500 educational facilities, such as nurseries, schools and universities, improving online learning facilities for students. In addition, Openreach has made Full Fibre broadband available to more than 3 million premises in the country's hardest-to-reach, typically very rural, parts.
Also Read: Openreach Fibre Reaches 800,000 Homes Across Scotland
Full Fibre transformation Potential
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has projected that the Full Fibre transformation can generate a 72 billion GBP boost to the UK economy by 2030. This is equivalent to creating 294,960 new SMEs nationwide or adding 25 new businesses in each local council in the UK.
Moreover, the upgrade could enable approximately 431,000 additional workers to join the workforce by 2026, as it provides greater opportunities for remote and flexible work. This will especially benefit older workers, parents, and carers, who are among the groups that stand to gain the most from such arrangements.
Openreach says it is building and expanding across the country and has plans for FullFiber broadband to reach over 25 million premises.
