Openreach UK End Firmware Updates for VDSL2 Broadband Modems

It’s been over two years since Openreach (BT) withdrew its own VDSL2 modem as an option from their Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) installation service, which many ISPs initially provided to customers before self-installations and all-in-one routers became the norm. Now future firmware updates are also due to end.

Some ISPs weren’t particularly pleased when the operator originally stopped supplying the devices, not least because being able to use Openreach’s own VDSL2 modem made support easier (i.e. a familiar / shared platform, quick to update firmware and easy to replace faulty kit). On the other hand technology must move on and you can’t keep supporting the same kit forever.

The final nail in the device’s coffin has now finally dropped, with a short update to announce that “we will no longer provide modem firmware upgrades to Openreach provided VDSL modems from 4th March 2019.” Obviously this may raise some concerns among the last fleeting supporters of the modem, although arguably they’ve already continued to support it for much longer than originally planned.

The good news is that in today’s market there’s no shortage of cheap alternative routers with an integrated or standalone VDSL2 modem (examples). The vast majority of those should do a better job than Openreach’s kit, which hasn’t been a mainstream ISP choice for quite a few years.