Openreach Appoint CommScope to Help FTTP Broadband Rollout

Openreach (BT) has announced that they’ve invested in infrastructure provider CommScope to supply new technology (e.g. closures and terminals) that will help to boost their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which aims to cover 25 million UK premises by December 2026 (at a cost of c.£15 billion).

At present, Openreach’s network has already covered 4.8 million premises (1.9 million were added during 2020/21) and they’re now starting to ramp-up in order to meet the new target, which is expected to see them reach an impressive peak build rate of 4 million premises a year (c.75,000 per week vs c.43,000 per week today).

The operator will thus be keen to try and simplify the complexities of deploying a full fibre network, while ideally reducing the potential for delays in the so-called “last mile” of deployment (e.g. traditional methods of placing and splicing fibre cables can take time). Likewise, some configuration changes could take weeks to complete as specialised crews may be required to setup, prepare cables and build splices etc.

As such, the operator has now opted to adopt CommScope’s “end-to-end modular” NOVUX platform – the first public deployment of the technology in the UK, which they say has been “created specifically for Openreach’s build programme.”

In theory, the new closures and terminals, as well as supporting features and training, should mean fewer components within their full fibre network. As such, it should also enhance health and safety for engineers, with less time spent up poles. Naturally, there could also be a cost saving to all this, but it’s hard to say how big that might be.

Kevin Murphy, MD for Fibre and Network Delivery at Openreach, said:

“Building a new broadband network across the UK is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project – second only to HS2 in terms of investment. 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 by enabling more home working and fewer commuting trips.

We place huge importance in our partner network and seek long-term and strategic collaborations. CommScope is a great example of this and this sustained partnership means we can be benefit from its teams’ skills and innovation to help us build Full Fibre even further.

We’re also delighted that CommScope share our belief in investing locally and the NOVUX technology manufactured in Wales will empower our engineers to overcome complex engineering challenges across the UK.”

As part of the Openreach collaboration, approximately 30-50 manufacturing engineers will be hired by CommScope in Rhyl, Wales. They will assemble Connectorised Block Terminals (CBT – like the one pictured), the fibre connection point where individual fibres connect to a premise’s main fibre cable (usually found on top of a telephone pole or within a chamber in the ground).

The announcement also states that Openreach are building full fibre “at lower cost and higher quality than anyone else in the UK,” although this claim is not substantiated. Indeed, you’d need to do an independent analysis of the build costs and methods for all c.90 or so of their other rivals before being able to prove it.

For example, community focused operators like B4RN can build much more cheaply due to their use of volunteers and pursuit of free wayleaves, while quality is a much more complicated and multi-faceted thing to correctly assess (i.e. it’s not just about what you deploy, but how you support and supply it etc.).