Openreach Speeds Up Proactive FTTP Broadband Upgrades by UK ISPs
Network operator Openreach (BT) has tweaked their Proactive FTTP Upgrades process for ISPs, which allows providers to optionally reduce the normal lead time of 6 weeks. Just to be clear, it’s normally consumers that initiate an upgrade, but with proactive upgrades the initiator is your ISP (this can help with copper broadband [ADSL/FTTC/G.fast] to full fibre migrations).
Proactive migrations thus arise where your ISP proposes an upgrade to their new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines from your older broadband service and, at the same time, books an appointment for an Openreach engineer to carry out the upgrade (the end user is still able to confirm, reject or select a different appointment).
At present, this process typically has a 6-week lead time, but ISPreview understands that the new change (here) appears to have introduced the option for ISPs to opt into a shorter lead time of around 4-5 weeks.
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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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This is obviously being directed towards those ISPs who still have customers on SOGEA/ADSL, despite those customers having access to FTTP and who don’t upgrade because they don’t see a reason to do so. While customer-led migrations will surely make up the majority of upgrades to FTTP, its obvious that in the coming years, the ISPs will have to start forcing upgrades onto the technology, expecially as ADSL will cease to exist once the Exchange Closure Programme starts to ramp up and Openreach seeks to reduce operating costs by decommissioning unnecessary VDSL DSLAM cabinets.
Other countries have been much more aggressive in forcing people to switch, it’s simply been a case of upgrade or get cut off.
@Big Dave: should be the approach Openreach take. As soon as FTTP becomes available at a premises, notify the ISP of a termination date 6 months ahead giving them that period of time to move the customer.
How many people are on ADSL now, I wonder? I would think it is more about getting people of FTTC as many people on FTTC are happy with that they have, I can’t see many people being happy with ADSL, unless they are really close to the exchange and getting more or less the max that ADSL can give, what is it called these ADSL+?
With FTTC, even at the lower end of the speed range, unless it is terrible, will give you good streaming.
Fortunately, Big Dave, we are not in other countries.
If it involves being moved with no change in contract/price etc. bring it on. Unfortunately, at the moment they want commitment to another two year contract & they can forget it.
Probably got more to do with the fact Sky are now offering Cityfibre and they’re getting it at a lower price. Interestingly, Sky are not giving customers the choice. They get want Sky feel is better, (i.e. cheaper for them). OR should be worried when something the size of Sky flag a viable alternative.
@aduk47 below 2mb – 72,524 below 10mb 216,976
thats UK and figures from start of july from think broadband out of nearly 33million premises
@graham, cheer’s for that. I only know of one household that is still on ADSL and a fair few on FTTC, it is those on FTTC that don’t feel the need to move. I was like that.
The one on ADSL get it very cheap, I presume that is why they don’t want to move. I did tell them, there is FTTC now for around £25 a month.
It was a good while ago, but someone at Ofcom told me that the ISPs were frustrated that the uptake to FTTx was so low. Something like 60-70% of people at that time, who had the option of FTTx didn’t see the need for it.
And I get it, for many people ~12Mb/s is ‘good enough’ and I can imagine some people not wanting to be bothered with changing.
Probably a budget 150Mb/s plan would satisfy them if they’re compelled to change.
While some of us still wait, and wait, and wait. All those millions who don’t even know they can have FTTP and can’t be bothered; while those of us left out struggle on with copper. But vans have been spotted in the area, and BIDB shows lots of dots. Could it finally, finally be happening?!
Same for me. FTTP is available via an alt net (BRSK and 6G) I’ve used 6G Internet and its not great so switched back to a provider that use openreach.
Openreach have built in my area on every street but mine. Complained they said there was some delay in planning (it was meant to be build 3 years ago). Got told it will be available in November 2025 and it was just delayed again
P.s try look on causeway they normally have a map you can check on any potential roadworks in the area including Openreach builds/ virgin media etc
That is life, some people can’t get what they want, and some people can get stuff and don’t want it.
Yep, in Tadley Nexfibre have finished their build and the Vermin Media reptiles are knocking on people’s doors… but…. there are still several streets that haven’t had any FTTP build (including ours). Happened to see a Nexfibre guy, who confirmed our street isn’t on their build plan, similarly OR says ‘not currently planned’ and…that’s it. No CityFibre, no Trooli, no Gigaclear, even though these altnets have fibred up nearby small towns and villages. So that’s us stuck on < 25 Mb/s (and we're probably luckier than some) for, well, ever?
@StillWaiting, strange how it works out that way, my nephew lived in Bristol and Virgin Media was on the opposite side of the road to where he lived and not his side.
Nextfibre don’t seem to be doing any laying of fibre for5 a while, they were coming here next year, not now. That will please a lot of people.
Makes sense as once those customers are on the openreach network they probably won’t move to the city fibre network
Still no sign of FTTP in Kenilworth a major town. With they would get aepund to upgrading exchange. Stuck on 65 meg.
Same with Atherstone.
Many customers think they already have fibre broadband as the regulators didn’t ban FTTC being called fibre at the time. Also with the pressure on household budgets customers will be reluctant to upgrade to full fibre if it costs any more as headline speed figures will be of absolutely no interest to many, they just want reasonable internet access.
If ISPs wish to have less customer resistance, with the disruption of having to be at home for the ONT installation, they really need to offer a lower price for the same 40/10 or 80/20 bandwidths, even if it is only a pound or so per month, rather than more bandwidth. It would be interesting to know how the Sky scheme (no additional cost or change to contract period) fares, I suspect even a small price reduction would increase uptake significantly.
Do you work for BT, mate? Currently being charged £68 a month for FTTC. BT have offered £67 to upgrade to FTTP. Mind you, the FTTC connection is fast enough, been rock-solid for nine years and I’m out of contract so can move at 30 days notice if I want. To take advantage of their oh so generous offer to upgrade to FTTP I would need to lock into a new two year contract. They can get stuffed.
some do already ie prices and guessing its why sky are doing free upgrades. where i am speed is 30mb ( new customer with plusnet ) 25.99pm. where brother lives ( full fibre area with plusnet ) full fibre 74 is 25.99, full fibre 145 is 26.99
@dave z . blimey thats a lot for fttc/sogea. my mother pays 35.99 for 30mb sogea+anytime unlimited via digital voice calls, renewed it in mar 2025
@DaveZ – you should be able to get this from BT – Ultrafast Full Fibre 100
for just £29.99 a month.
One odd thing is that in many parts of Europe you can get fibre broadband for about €6-7 and those businesses are sustainable.
those would also be the parts of Europe where the average income is a fraction of ours, and where the network operators have fewer regulations to adhere to and fewer NIMBYs to appease. Not to mention greater urbanisation and apartment living which would also drastically reduce deployment costs.
You won’t be getting it that cheap in our peer countries.
€6-7 a month and these businesses are sustainable? I’m unconvinced. That sort of money would just about cover the costs of running a customer account on SAP or other enterprise system, customer service and billing, leaving nothing to pay for the actual infrastructure or connectivity (or for bad debt). I base that on my experience of several decades working for large, customer facing infrastructure businesses.
Not supporting or disputing that in some countries these prices might be offered, what I’m disputing is actual commercial viability of any subscription service at that price. You can see this if you do some simple analysis of any customer facing business.