Extra 5 million UK premises added to Openreach's full fibre rollout

Charlotte Whyatt • 14 May 2021

They're aiming to connect up 25 UK million homes and businesses by the end of 2026.

BT’s Openreach has set a new target for the rollout of its full fibre gigabit capable network.

An additional 5 million properties across the UK will now be covered by the project, an action which will create an extra 7,000 jobs. 

This brings the total number of properties included in the expansion up from 20 million to 25 million and pushes its bill up to £15 billion. 

While BT have said that they have “the capacity to fund this additional build entirely from internal resources”, the provider is also reportedly exploring the option of covering its costs by embarking on a joint venture with a third party. 

Openreach is planning to ramp up its build immediately and wants to connect up 4 million premises each year. 

4.6 million homes and businesses nationwide can currently access Openreach’s FTTP (fibre to the premise) network.

“BT is already building more full fibre broadband to homes and businesses than anyone else in the UK,” said the CEO of the BT Group Philip Jansen.

“Today we are increasing our FTTP target from 20 million to 25 million homes and businesses to deliver further value to our shareholders and support the Government’s full fibre ambitions."

Source: ISPreview