Openreach Confirm Next UK FTTC 40Mbps Broadband Price Drop

As expected Openreach (BT) has today confirmed that the wholesale price of their 40Mbps (10Mbps upload) Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) broadband tier will drop by -£8.08 (-11.6%) from 1st April 2019. Some smaller changes for unbundled (LLU MPF and SMPF) and Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) are also confirmed.

The changes stem from the on-going impact of Ofcom’s most recent Wholesale Local Access (WLA) market review and its related charge controls (here), which among other changes are in the process of dropping the 40Mbps FTTC tier to such a low price point that it will make it much more attractive to those still on slower ADSL2+ broadband lines.

The following cost changes are NOT directly reflective of the price that ordinary consumers like you or I will pay at retail. As usual internet providers still have to add various costs on top, such as 20% VAT, network services, features and a profit margin etc. Some ISPs have already planned ahead with their existing discounts, while others may choose not to pass on any savings to their end-users.

Summary of key annual rental price changes