Openreach Add 12 More UK Locations to FTTP Broadband Rollout
Openreach (BT) has today issued an update to their £15bn rollout of a new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which “reformats the existing exchange areas already announced” and adds 12 new locations (mostly in London) to their deployment plan – covering an additional 184,806 homes and businesses.
So far the rollout, which has already covered over 9 million UK premises (inc. 2.9m in the hardest to reach rural areas), is currently running at a build rate of c.62,000 premises per week and this is predicted to peak at c.75,000 premises at some point in the near future (i.e. up to 4 million premises per year, which compares with the 1.9 million added in 2020/21). Some 2.5m have also adopted the service via ISPs.
However, the operator has recently had to adjust its existing rollout plan in order to reduce its costs, albeit without impacting their completion targets (here). As part of that, Openreach informed some suppliers that there might be “an element of cancellation or suspension” of some work, which could explain why today’s update diplomatically talks about a “reformat” of the existing plan.
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At the time of writing we don’t have access to the updated plan (expected this morning), so it’s difficult to know if they’ve delayed any of the previously announced areas. But we do know that the latest update adds 12 new locations – predominantly in London (e.g. Kensington Gardens, Skyport (inc. the area around Heathrow) and Wembley etc.) and not to mention the village of Healing in East Lincolnshire.
December 2022 Additions
(Openreach’s Full Fibre Build)
| Exchange ID | Exchange Name | Planned Total Homes Passed (THP) |
| CLHOL | Holborn | 7,013 |
| WEWBAY | Bayswater | 26,545 |
| SMLEA | Leagrave | 25,312 |
| WRPIM | Pimlico | 19,513 |
| WRSKEN | South Kensington | 14,799 |
| WRKGDN | Kensington Gardens | 6,456 |
| LNFIN | Finchley | 12,962 |
| LNSTF | Stratford | 27,037 |
| LWCHI | Chiswick | 18,180 |
| LWSKY | Skyport | 6,965 |
| LWWEM | Wembley | 15,344 |
| SLHLG | Healing | 4,680 |
The network access provider has also updated its website to include a range of details about its largest commercial build programmes, giving more information about where and when the build will start in each exchange location, using one of five new simplified categories:
• We’ll be building in this exchange in the future
• We’ll be building here soon, with services available in the next 12 months
• We’re building in this exchange right now
• We’ve finished the main part of our build in this exchange
• This exchange isn’t in our major build programme
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Some of this is reflected via the new availability checker that we picked up on last month (here). Otherwise, the new look Openreach Full Fibre build plan brings together information on the expected timing of its major urban and rural build programmes, providing a simpler view of when and where build is happening. Timings are also now based around the calendar year and on when some customers can expect to be able to order the first services, instead of the previous financial year cycle from April to April.
Openreach will update the build information a minimum of every three months – including to adjust the timings of any areas that have moved back or been brought forward in the plan due to, for example, “operational reasons“. As we’ve always said, published build plans by any operator should be treated as tentative and subject to change, until deployed.
Clive Selley, Openreach CEO, said:
“Over time, we’ve learnt more and more about building at a large scale, and we want our plans to be as clear and comprehensive as possible. So, we’ve adjusted our published build plans to hopefully make them easier to understand.
As the nation’s leading network builder we’re building full fibre pretty much everywhere so we’re regularly adding new build locations and giving more clarity around timings.
Despite the economic challenges, we’re now building this transformational technology to well over three million homes a year – and we expect to get to even more over the next 12 months. We’re going faster than any builder I’m aware of in Europe.”
The service, once live, can be ordered via various ISPs, such as BT, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Giganet and many more (Openreach FTTP ISP Choices) – it is not currently an automatic upgrade, although in the future that may happen on some lines as copper is eventually retired (this will take many years).
However, Openreach’s commercial rollout will still leave under 20% of premises unserved by their full fibre network, but some of those will be tackled by alternative network providers (as is already the case in quite a few areas). Meanwhile, for locations with no gigabit connectivity options or related plans, the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit will attempt to help fill the gap and BT may well scoop some of those contracts (so far they haven’t).
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UPDATE 9:31am
Openreach’s website has just been updated to reflect the latest changes, including a new map and their latest build plan (PDF). But the operator’s revised plan has adopted a new format that no longer clearly marks out the changes in each update, which makes it extremely difficult to identify which areas have dropped off the plan or been delayed.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I still see the old useless map.
They haven’t updated the build plan on their website yet.
https://api.superfastmaps.co.uk/fibrecities/3.0/
I still won’t trust it much. My exchange (Porth) has shows as in the “21/22 – December 2026” build announcement.
But if I search mine, or any other address in Porth on the old or new openreach checker it shows as no plans to build/build not announced.
How long until there’s a comment posted about Cuckoo Oak not being on the latest list 🙂
Cuckoo Oak no longer needed. As Wellington (Telford on the list) is the one with full fibre covered all over Cuckoo Oak & Madeley from Wellington exchange for FTTC and FTTPoD and future FTTP.
I believe Cuckoo Oak will closed down telephone exchange soon.
4 hours and 10 mins 😀
These London areas (notably Stratford and Wembley) are very MDU heavy and already have hyperoptic/community fibre. This is an announcement that shows they are really more worried about making the THP numbers than serving where there’s no infrastructure
This is their commercial rollout so they’re absolutely covering where they want to cover with it.
Not their problem whether it’s overbuild or not: most of the time overbuilding makes more commercial sense anyway.
Well in Malvern I had a new fibre connection from Openreach for a whole month. Last week when one of the alt nets were installing fibre into the conduits and they broke the fibre servicing our area. The Openreach engineer had a few interesting words to say about the altnet.
Luckily I keep our g.fast connection as well, so still got internet. Wife thought it was overkill, but not now. We both work from home.
Looking at bidb.uk over time shows a high frequency of Openreach working on the same ducts to restore connections after an altnet has been there in our area also.
First time I’ve seen the bidb.uk site, it rocks.
I briefly did some work in Malvern on fibre build, was told that alt nets there were filling OR boxes and poles with empty gear to hinder the build, doesn’t surprise me that cables would be “accidentally” damaged
Well, by all accounts, Openreach has done the same thing in some places, so it happens, sadly, but it does.
I’m not surprised that Outer London dominates this list as at 39% FTTP London is way below the UK City average. Based on the old exchange dialling code (outer London being 020) the average FTTP for other UK cities is 87%. The downside is that the OR rollout plan sill targets exchange areas that already have VM and ignores exchange areas that have large holes I.e. Barnet Exchange area.
The whole of London was/is 020. Do you mean 020 8?
Maybe rollout complete after 2030. My area announced 3 years ago and still waiting for OPENREACH fibre.
Good luck guys.
But you just said above that you don’t need it – Phil
I’m such an important engineer with extra special skills that I require 10Gbit XGSPON. Everyone else is poor and can’t afford it. I’m better than all of you.
I see our local (Stretham, Ely, Cambs isn’t on the list anymore)?
Pretty useless, as usual. It may say FTTP being built right now in a certain town, but then the corresponding Openreach fibre broadband checker comes up with the meaningless “between now and 2026” result. Not that altnets are any better either.
Proper rollout plans would benefit both end users (enabling them to plan for future broadband needs) as well as telecoms and ISPs. The lack of rollout plans is the issue here.
checkers dont get updated till work is done or close to being done — forward information is less forthcoming now due the previous ASA challenge (well covered by ISP review)
commercial considerations change all the time as an aside Altnets will be having the same challenges /issue about aligning plans and coverage
it seems your never happy about anything ever
You keep spouting that nonsense.
Openreach stopped providing accurate dates because they slipped and people moaned.
It has diddly squat to do with the ASA.
The ASA doesn’t even have the remit to take action against a private website posting an estimated date.
It’s not even false advertising
Feel free to post something that says otherwise.
And “well covered by ISPReview” …
Care to link to this?
The only thing that comes up in searches of Openreach and ASA is .. you, spouting nonsense.
I’m not Fastman but here you are: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/asa-ban-bt-infinity-broadband-checker-for-misleading-availability-claims.html
I was “between now and 2026” and was enabled 3 weeks ago so a change to “building now” makes a lot of sense.
@GN – no supplier is going to give clear dates for a particular property.
We had that and then all of a sudden it was here, so instead of just one FTTP network, we have two, well in some parts of the city. Openreach seems to be following the alt network. Reminds me of BBC, they were not interested in a local radio station here until a commercial one started.
I bet if the alt network did not start building here, open reach would not have bothered for another couple of years.; I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am. This city is off the map most of the time, saying that we did have the King here a couple of days ago.
Am in the “We’re building in this exchange right now” finally and theres some new cbts down one of the main roads in the village. It seems from others that OR have not updated all of the their systems as the xls sheet and whole sale checker is not updated yet.
at least i’ve got some sort of firmer date as when it will be finished
Good to see my local exchange finally make it on their to do list and I also see that BT have given the date of September 2023 for stop selling of PSTN services eg non fibre so I would hope that FTTP will be available by than.
Sadly no Donnington, Stirchley & Cuckoo Oak in Telford. Also no Shifnal in Shropshire.
I can see Wellington on it (Must be in Somerset in UK) as I do believe Telford on it (must be based in Wellington, Telford where full fibre cover all over Cuckoo Oak area for FTTC and FTTPoD from Wellington exchange (Telord).
Can see map of Madeley on it but must be Newcastle-under-Lyme for this map not Madeley in Telford.
Very confused map.
You aren’t getting covered by Wellington’s FTTP build. The list is by exchange area not by GEA parent exchange.
Go to the map you’ll see Cuckoo Oak’s exchange area remains uncoloured.
The Cuckoo Oak exchange will be closed down soon anyway.
A couple of guys at the end of my road doing some work last week. I stopped them and enquired about the work and they said the main part is done but it will be next year now but I’ll be the first street that goes live.
Also, Netomnia are linking my area to their network in the centre of town. CityFibre start where I live in January. I’ve gone from no interest to all these works at once!
No sign of Virgin though. They probably won’t bother now!
Some dim people here claim that openreach had already planned but it is very clear that they strategically pick and choose to overbuild. It is a deliberate strategy not to cover the UK as fast as possible but to disrupt the competition
@Pablo. OR have hundreds of ISPs to support so why not?
The target is 20 million premises as quickly as possible, Pablo, not 20 million premises with no coverage from anyone else.
Openreach are in business to make money and disrupt the competition within the regulatory framework and the law.
Cuckoo Oak no chance in hell. https://i.ibb.co/RS76KLB/Screenshot-1.png
BLACKRIARS exchange in Salford not even on the Programme build PDF , very frustrating. Other postcodes served by different cabinets on the same exchange can get FTTP 🙁 We’re surrounded by FTTP and VM services but our 2016 New Build is being ignored.
You could ask VM?
I did, currently no plans and even though they’re supposed to connect all Countryside Properties in the area, they left us out and claim to not know why. So Stuck 🙁
The big problem is the lack of any real rollout schedule and progress schedule
The dates given are all but meaningless and can and do change significantly and as for progress updates there are none
What do you want and how do you expect any company to provide it?
2800 exchanges listed.
Disgusting, talk about levelling up, they can’t even repair the old copper exchanges on Isle of Skye where we get less than 1mbs (zero for over 2 months) yet Southern counties get more benefits. I have to turn work down as I can’t work from home at all.
Believe leveling up is a government thing. Openreach aren’t public sector so if government want to have Openreach level areas up they have to pay them.
Presumably cost to deploy the service is the issue with Skye.
can’t HEBNET help you
https://www.hebnet.co.uk/
Openreach arrived in bankfoot Perth 3 years ago but no connections to any premises and no indication of when anyone here can get any sort of fiber connection.