Openreach Makes UK Fibre Broadband Checker a Bit More Informative
Broadband access provider Openreach (BT) appears to have recently made their “Fibre Checker” a bit more informative via the addition of several new status messages to reflect different stages of network availability. This is primarily useful for those still awaiting the arrival of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network.
According to some of our forum members (main credit to squarecrumpets via Thinkbroadband’s forum), the Openreach checker has been updated to show more details when performing a postcode search on a property. This seems to be reflected by six possible responses to an address check, which are summarised below.
Revised Availability Status Messages
1. We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet
2. We’re planning to build in this area
3. We’ll be building in this area in the next year
4. We’re building in this area now
5. Available to order soon
6. Available to order now
The new approach provides a little bit of extra detail to help show the operator’s roll-out progress through its different deployment phases, which represents a small but useful change. Consumers may of course wish for something more specific than this (i.e. clear dates and timescales), but network operators need to be careful about managing expectations because delays and complications sometimes do crop-up with complex FTTP builds.
Advertisement
Just take note that website browsers sometimes cache old responses. So if you’re regularly using this checker to test the status of a local build, then it would be wise to clear your browser cache once in a while or to try checking via a different web browser (avoids stale cache polluting the output).
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.
I don’t like being a cynic, but it’s just marketing, not based on any facts. Our village now states they are done, when previously it was planned for the future, yet nothing has happened. We are now scheduled for fibre in the next year, where previously to complex and costly. I see others where it’s stated in build, yet persons working in that error say not included. All made up to show progress where there are no actions to support that statement.
One area of our parish that said “available by end 2026” a few months ago, then changed to “no plans”, now says “We’re building in this area now”
How on earth are we, as a Parish Council, able to properly engage with the voucher scheme when Openreach do stuff like this? Is this a commercial build or Type C calloff?
All this commercial-in-confidence stuff just leaves us in the dark and unable to plan. One small mercy – the rest of the parish still says “no plans”. Although our MP was told by BDUK that it would be included in the calloff contract.
If you read the small print under each status it does say that building in your area does not mean your property is in scope.
Clear as mud as per usual. Might as well be, we might do it but might not.
Alternative hypothesis: it’s a database of over 30 million premises that is constantly being updated and inevitably there are some errors.
Openreach checker still useless. One of my mate checked in his area as it saying Available to order now but not the case as his property are no Full Fibre!
Remember this: (some might get it, some not not get it)
1. We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet
2. We’re planning to build in this area
3. We’ll be building in this area in the next year
4. We’re building in this area now
5. Available to order soon
6. Available to order now
Would it have hurt anyone in this reporting to cite the actual URL for this “Fibre Checker” ? Sure, I quickly found it with a DDG search for “openreach fibre checker”, but there have been so many such over the years it would have been nice to be directed to the current one with no ambiguity.
Still, “We’re building in this area now” for me in a current FTTP not-spot here in Andover.
Openreach is linked in the very first paragraph, and the checker is slap bang at the top of their front page.
I am getting “We’re building in this area now” in the new estate build area with OFNL monopoly…
Probably because it’s associated to an exchange area that is currently being built, the checker would struggle to be as accurate with premises level data
Watermans’s Park in Gravesend by any chance? I received the email from Openreach and got very excited but soon realised living on a new-build estate will put a stop to me having any other provider aside from OFNL.
My address shows as available to order soon but it’s an ofnl lockout site. I will believe it when I see it happening.
If they cover 19 million premises now and will cover 25 million by Jan 2027 (6 million more in 17 months) the next 5 million to be covered will take 4 years – a very considerable slow down in the build rate. Are they running out of the easier places to install and at last are going back to sort the areas they skipped or going to get headlines by installing in really remote areas ?
Not only have they run (or are running) out of low hanging fruit, they also have BT’s endless cost-cutting to contend with.
No, it is to do with the funding of the program. They will already be reducing headcount in preparation for the step-down to a slower build rate.
It’s still really no clearer. I used to get Not Yet Available, and now I get “We’re building in your area now”
Work is going on in my area, but it doesn’t tell you if they plan on coming to your street/address in the area in question.
Unless they mean we are building there and every address will get covered as we go. It’s so frustrating as all around me there is full fibre, but I just get told that my cables are buried and they are getting the faster deployments out there first.
I get the logic, but it’s just frustrating to be on 30mbps in 2025 when the areas they’ve done have access to Virgin, Youfbre, and others. The concentration should be the addresses that have nothing…
The information is specific to postcodes: if it says “we’re building in your area now”, that means they are working in tiur exchange area, but they don’t yet know when they will be reaching your postcode. Once it changes to “available to order soon”, they are working on your postcode/property specifically and therefore you should be able to order a few weeks after it. Unlike the old system, the data will update more regularly, as this data is also being made available to ISP’s [see the thread on the ispreview forums], so its much more realistic than bedore.
Different properties in the same postcode can show different information.
I was in the same situation as you and finally got virgin media via their nexfibre last year. While I may have jumped from 30 to 250 reliability has dropped like a stone. Im regularly dropped from teams meetings etc. Old bt line was solid on numerous providers. Im often tempted to switch back… what use is speed that cannot be relied on.
Thanks for the credit.
If it’s of any help, I’ve received an Email today from Openreach providing an update with the same status: “We’re building in this area now” with essentially the same info as shown on the fibre checker. I’m still somewhat sceptical as ours is an MDU, but hopefully it’s just a matter of time.
I think gamer girl used as the image on the checker tool should be changed to Stressed Eric trying to work from home.
Gamer girl? I call her angry girl. She really annoys me. It’s a very aggressive image. The BBC have a similarly inappropriate image when they want you to sign in. A very joyful looking lady. The news is rarely joyful.
I wonder if they also updated the underlying data. Mine has gone from showing that they weren’t going to be building here, to “We’ll be building in this area in the next year”. I was going to enquire, since they are building other areas served by our exchange right now.
I’m checking this almost daily now, as the wait goes on and on. Some postcodes very close to us are now showing as ‘live’ on the various maps, and actual vans installing actual stuff in the street chambers have been spotted in our road, a few weeks ago. But for now, the checker still says “Within the next year” – oh well, sooner than the “by Dec 2026” that we had previously!
I’ve settled on being in the 2030 update upgrade, any sooner will be a bonus!
Thank god for Go Fibre here in North Northumberland then as the response to my address was “We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet”. Granted, we are remote but a house I can walk to with my dog in 10 minutes has full fibre and an ONT with active service according to the cabinet checker
Updated:
Openreach Fibre Checker say:
1) We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet
This means that right now, your property can’t access Full Fibre on our network and is in an area where we currently don’t have any major plans to build. This could change in the future as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.
2) We’re planning to build in this area
This means that while we’re planning on building to your area in the future, our plans to build to this property aren’t confirmed yet. But they could be soon as we’re aiming to build Full Fibre to 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026 and we’re not stopping there.
3) We’ll be building in this area in the next year
This means we’ll be bringing Full Fibre to your area in the next year, so you’ll soon see our vans and engineers working to upgrade the broadband network. And whilst our plans for this specific property aren’t confirmed yet, they could be soon as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.
4) We’re building in this area now
This means we’re already working to upgrade our broadband network to Full Fibre in your area and you may have seen our vans as our engineers work to upgrade our network.
And whilst our plans for this specific property aren’t confirmed yet, they could be soon as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.
5) Available to order soon
This means our engineers are upgrading the broadband network to this property and Full Fibre will be available to order soon unless our engineers encounter any unexpected problems.
If you sign up we’ll tell you when it’s ready to order – so you can upgrade to the UK’s most reliable broadband technology.
6) Available to order now
This means that Full Fibre is available for you to order now.
Select ‘See providers’ to explore all the broadband providers offering Full Fibre.
And with the biggest choice of broadband providers in the UK, you’re sure to find a connection, package and price that works for you.
It’s all rather useless still. Same postcode different house number lists ‘We’re building in this area now’ for one property and ‘We’ll be building in this area in the next year’ for the other. This doesn’t inspire confidence in the accuracy of the checker.
I agree with you.
Openreach full fibre is just a post code lottery selection. Some win, some loser. My ISP told me the only way to get FTTP is ordering FTTP on Demand (the most expensive install cost, and monthly payment isn’t so cheap!)
I have found Openreach Fibre checker to be very glitchy! Wonder if anybody else has found this to be the case?
Yes. It often interrupt me after I have put just two characters of my postcode in and then tells me invalid postcode
How are they? That’s nice so I can see how they’re going to extend it even further then getting sick of waiting to be honest
building in my area it says, but nowhere near my postcode. So it’s not accurate.
Eh, doesn’t really seem any different than before but at least Openreach is still stating that they’ll be building FTTP here next year.
It’s frustrating though that they’ve ignored us for that long though, because I would logically think they’d try to build in cities first yet we’re stuck on ADSL on Openreach here (or Virgin Media hybrid fibre coax).
The key word is “Area” and what they mean by it. For example the “Area” where I live was “completed” some years back except for the streets that weren’t and the street where I live was indeed missed and is not planned. But hey, the area is completed – so they pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
The checker shows my postcode as “We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet” However, the June 2025 FF Build Programme document shows my exchange as finished with Stop-sell Activated… something of a contradiction!
Prepare yourself with an enormous pinch of salt when using!
Just watch what is going on around you.
Any predictions from the “system” are subject to far too many real world and software variables.
Shan’t be building a business plan on shifting and…
Openreach checker says “no plans”, yet Openreach emailed me about 2 months ago to say they’re planning on coming here within the next year.
Can’t believe a word they say.
Glad I have symmetrical 1Gb from Fibrus and not waiting on BT.
Openreach do not seem to want to upgrade lines in flats or mdu’s such as in Elgin Scotland whole estate has fttp but a small patch where flats/maisonettes are have fttc and 35mb capped unsure when they will update to complete a area.
A few properties that was due by December 2026 now says no plans.
The “Telco Roadwords” option on the Thinkbroadband availability map is a good indicator of current activity in your “area” vs the Openreach definition of “area”.
The checker seems inaccurate as ever. We had FTTP manifolds installed on our street poles a week ago and they went live today (confirmed using the wholesale checker) – the Openreach checker still says “building in your area within the next year”.
Are these just commercial build plans? It’s showing no plans for my rural house in East Lothian but I think we’re included in the Project Gigabit Call off 6 (Scotland) contract that was awarded to OpenReach in May. It’s hard to find confirmation anywhere though! I gave in yesterday and ordered Starlink yesterday as have most of my neighbours, as we’re all so fed up waiting for fibre – our fixed wireless provider is too unreliable especially in winter
It’s all nonsense
Over the past 2 months I’ve had
– Building by Dec 2026
– No plans (I contacted them, and they denied ever saying it would be available, when they had for a few months)
– Now says building in your area now (they’re not, it’s outside of a tiny village & I know where the exchange and street cabinets are)
Put any of the neighbours address in and it always says “no plans”
I’ve got building in your area which is news to me… no announcement or obvious work. Suspect they are doing the houses in the town with poles. No one is clearing the 50 year old ducts on our estate (serval fibre providers did try but gave up).
There should be a site to show all networks, not just Openbreach
there is a few, all be it not everyone knows there are even alt nets etc
Broadband Checker shows:-
WBC FTTC availability – unavailable
WBC FTTP 1000 down 220 up – available Stage 1
Single dwelling unit residential UG congested duct
FTTP is available and a new ONT may be ordered
The exchange is currently not in a Fibre Priority Programme
So looks like some digging is necessary and that will have to be paid for by who ever demands FTTP , that is until my exchange is put on the priority list . .and although I have an FTTP Box not more than 100 feet away on the other side of the suburban side road, my existing FTTP connection is with the box 300 yards away at the other end of the road.
Despite this my wi-fi tells me that someone within wi-fi range has Community Fibre FTTP. Do Community Fibre pay all costs associated with connection ?
Line 3, second para, should read “My existing FTTC connection”