Openreach focuses fibre broadband build out to rural communities
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 28 May 2021
As part of its plans to extend the benefits of gigabit broadband to all of the UK and not just the metropolitan areas, Openreach has revealed an plans to build full-fibre broadband to at least three million more homes and businesses in some of the UK’s hardest-to-serve communities.
Openreach rural 28 May 2021
In addition, the broadband provision division of UK telco BT says that its updated build plan will be fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering gigabit-capable broadband to 85% of the UK by 2025 and follows an extended investment commitment by its parent, BT Group. It means Openreach will now build full-fibre technology to a total of 25 million premises, including more than six million in the hardest-to-serve parts of the country.

The new, five-year deployment plan includes the majority of homes and business in around 1100 exchange locations - including market and coastal towns, villages and hamlets spread across the entire UK. The locations include Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Cardigan in Wales, Keswick in Cumbria and Allhallows in Kent.

“Building a new broadband network across the UK is a massive challenge and some parts of the country will inevitably require public funding. But our expanded build plan means taxpayer subsidies can be limited to only the hardest to connect homes and businesses - and we hope to see other companies step forward to build in the most rural areas too,” said Openreach CEO Clive Selley.

“This is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project...It will help level-up the UK because the impact of full-fibre broadband stretches from increased economic prosperity and international competitiveness, to higher employment and environmental benefits.”