Openreach adds 21 locations in broadband upgrade footprint
UK’s largest broadband network provider makes significant addition to infrastructure, staying on track to make full-fibre gigabit available to 30 million premises in all corners of the UK by 2030
As part of its stated mission to reach up to five million more homes and businesses with its broadband network during the year to March 2026, Openreach, the UK’s leading wholesale broadband provider, has announced that 19 million premises across the UK can now order its gigabit broadband technology.
Seven million UK premises already take services based on the full-fibre network of the BT-owned company, 37% of the growing footprint, and the further 21 locations added to the full-fibre roll-out will cover as many as 80,000 rural and urban premises across the country, including Belmont, in Lancashire; Cheriton Bishop, in Devon; Didcot, in Oxfordshire; Innsworth, in Gloucestershire; Silverdale, in Lancashire; and Woburn Sands, in Buckinghamshire.
“This is a UK infrastructure success story, so it makes sense for us, and the country, to push hard on the accelerator pedal,” said Openreach CEO Clive Selley.
“Our new network is helping to drive economic growth, create jobs, and will be the backbone of a prosperous, globally connected and competitive UK. Last year was our biggest year of build ever – reaching well over four million homes with this life-changing technology. No other build across Europe has achieved that kind of rate, and this year will be our biggest ever.”
In May 2024, while reporting a financial year of flat revenues and a significant fall in profits, BT announced it had reached a peak for its significant investments in full-fibre broadband, and BT Group chief executive Allison Kirkby stated that the company had reached an inflection point in its long-term strategy.
However, a year later, the comms giant told the industry it had turned the capital spending taps back on and given the green light to Openreach to dig further and faster.
Openreach claims to be building its new network to connect customers faster and further than any other provider in the UK – reaching an average of 85,000 new premises every week. In total, more than 3,500 UK towns, cities, boroughs, villages and hamlets have so far been included in Openreach’s build programme, with many more being reached through publicly funded partnerships.
Read more about UK gigabit broadband
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- UK gigabit broadband continues progress but overbuild fears persist: Fifth edition of UK broadband report sees robust growth of full-fibre access across the country, but with slower increase in gigabit per se, and key mergers making altnets more efficient and attractive for investors.
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- Ofcom outlines plans to take UK full-fibre roll-out into ‘final phase’: UK communications regulator sets out plans that will help full-fibre gigabit broadband reach almost all UK homes and businesses over the next two years.
In the year from April 2024, Openreach extended its network to another 4.3 million premises, which it said represented its biggest ever year of build, and that it was actively increasing the pace of the build to reach up to five million more in 12 months.
With the caveat of “a supportive economic and regulatory environment”, Openreach ultimately expects to make full-fibre available to 30 million premises in all corners of the UK by 2030.
In its yearly financial results, published in May 2025, BT said it had passed peak capital expenditure on its full-fibre broadband roll-out and achieved a £3bn cost and service transformation programme a year ahead of schedule.
Remarking on the telco’s performance, Kirkby described BT’s full-fibre deployment as a “UK infrastructure success story”, adding that it now made sense for the company, and the UK in general, to push on the accelerator pedal.
“The more full-fibre we build, the more customers choose to connect,” she said. “In a highly competitive market, and despite a challenging economic landscape, Openreach is building and connecting customers faster, and at a lower cost than anyone.”
