Openreach brings full-fibre broadband to 10-millionth home

Openreach has made full-fibre broadband available to its 10 millionth home, as part of its plan to connect 25 million households by the end of 2026.

It reached the landmark in the Rutland village of Ketton, where more than 900 homes and businesses are now connected.

The company is spending £15bn on rolling out full-fibre – also called ‘Fibre to the Premises’ (FTTP) – across the UK. Its current rate is around 62,000 premises a week.

So far full-fibre has been made available to more than three million homes in the “hardest to reach” parts of the country, and another three million homes in areas “identified by the Government as a priority for levelling up”.

Openreach also claimed that full-fibre is available to 409,000 premises in the top 25 areas identified by the Social Mobility Commission as the least socially mobile.

Additionally, full-fibre has been rolled out to over 9,000 medical facilities, including GP surgeries, hospitals and research labs, and over 13,500 educational facilities, such as nurseries, schools and universities.

The company added that the UK’S internet usage has “soared” since the Covid pandemic. It doubled in 2020, as the public adjusted to lockdowns, and has increased every year since.

It said the rise in internet use “is set to continue as technology becomes more sophisticated and integral to people’s daily lives, with social changes such as working from home and the boom in online learning” (www.snipca.com/45508).

Use Openreach’s postcode checker to see whether full-fibre is available in your area: www.snipca.com/45509.

Have you signed up for fullfibre broadband? Let us know: letters@computeractive.co.uk