H1 2021 – FTTP Broadband Reaches 93 Percent of UK New Build Homes

The latest H1 2021 study of UK broadband coverage in new build homes has indicated that 92.8% of houses constructed during the first half of this year were connected to a “full fibre” (FTTP) ISP network (up from 90% in H2 2020), which rises to 98.6% for 30Mbps+ “superfast broadband” services (up from 98.3%).

The situation, as revealed by Thinkbroadband‘s latest independent model (examination of new build postcodes), is clearly improving, but we’d always recommend that those purchasing a new build home get the property developer to confirm, in writing, what kind of broadband connectivity you can expect to receive before handing over any money. On top of that, it’s worth trying to identify the fibre supplier and asking them directly.

Most large home builders (e.g. Home Builders Federation) have already entered into partnerships with operators (Openreach, Virgin Media and various altnet ISPs) to better facilitate the roll-out of fibre broadband technologies. Openreach has also made it even cheaper to deploy their FTTP network into some of the smallest developments (here). On top of that, new rules are coming to make all of this a requirement (here).

Despite this, some property developers still say that deploying full fibre services can, in some areas, be prohibitively expensive (e.g. remote rural locations), although this hasn’t always stopped many of those same companies from raking in big annual profits. Nevertheless, more and more new homes are arriving with full fibre availability as standard, and the impact of this is pretty clear.

New Build Broadband Cover by Speed and Technology (H1 2021 Data)

NOTE 1: The ultrafast figure above largely reflects coverage by FTTP, HFC DOCSIS (Cable) and some G.fast networks; mostly delivered via Openreach (BT) and Virgin Media. Meanwhile Hyperoptic, CommunityFibre, GTC / OFNL, Grain and a few other altnets will also have an impact.

NOTE 2: Some small / individual developments (e.g. personal single house projects) or property conversions may be missed by this data.

NOTE 3: The historic figures may change by the next update as related data is frequently being revised / updated.

NOTE 4: The availability of postcode data tends to lag deployments, which is why we only get a partial view of the current year. As such this data is better for looking back at prior years.

In time the problems highlighted in this article should resolve themselves, but for now a gap will continue to exist and that may be more noticeable in rural areas. But the gap has shrunk considerably over the past few years. The COVID-19 crisis, as well as the impact of Brexit on trade, haulage and supplies, may have also had an impact upon the number of new homes being built.