Openreach Start Rural UK FTTP Broadband Rollout Under Project Gigabit
Network operator Openreach (BT) has today announced that they’ve kicked off the construction phase for several of their recently awarded Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contracts with the government (BDUK), including in remote rural parts of Lancashire, Wales, Devon, Hertfordshire, Staffordshire and Wiltshire.
Just to recap. Over the past year Openreach has been selected to deliver all of Project Gigabit’s Cross-Regional (Type C) procurements (here, here and here) via a Single Supplier Framework agreement (here) – reflecting “up to” £800m in total state aid to help upgrade 312,000 premises to Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology in some of the hardest to reach parts of rural England, Scotland and Wales (i.e. premises with no prior access to gigabit connectivity).
The areas covered by these Type C contracts typically reflect locations where no or no appropriate market interest had previously been expressed before to the Government’s umbrella Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, or areas that have been descoped or terminated from a prior plan. Areas like the ones above are often skipped due to being too expensive (difficult) for smaller suppliers. All the other Project Gigabit contracts have gone to smaller alternative networks (altnets).
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The good news today is that Openreach have completed their initial engineering surveys and are now moving into the build phase for several of the contracted Type C areas, including in remote rural parts of Wales, Lancashire, Devon and Wiltshire. More will soon follow. We’ve also added details for Hertfordshire and Staffordshire below, which began a few days ago but slipped under our radar.
Openreach’s Initial Type C Build Activity for the Coming Months
Wales
Abercynon, Bedlinog, Llandrindod Wells, Llangollen, Glanrafon, Maerdy, Llandrillo, Betws Gwerfil Goch, Corwen, Llandderfel, Llaniestyn, Rhiwderin, Brynygwenin, Llanvihangel Crucorney[SB1] , Pandy, Llantilio Pertholey, Llanellen, Llansilin, Penegoes, Abercegir, Talywern, Llanwrin, Aberhosan, Melin-Bryhedyn and Castle Caereinion.
Lancashire
Haslingden, Loveclough, Rossendale, Lytham St Annes, Burscough, Lathom, Scarisbrick, Stacksteads, Bacup, Old Clough, Woodplumpton, Bartle, Catforth, Lea Town, Salwick, Clifton, Kirkham, Greenhalgh, Bryning, Treales and Standish.
Devon
Combe Martin, Fremington, Barnstaple, Iddesleigh, Beaford, Monkokehampton, Belstone, Okehampton, Sticklepath, South Zeal, Sampford Courtenay, Inwardleigh, Huish, Meeth, Petrockstowe, Exbourne, Northlew, Tawstock, Prixford, Marwood, Kentisbury, Muddiford, Stibb Cross, Newton St Petrock, Langtree, Peters Marland and Buckland Brewer.
Wiltshire
Calne, Stockley, Compton Bassett, Lacock, Chippenham, Lyneham, Wroughton, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Tockenham, Broad Town, Uffcott, Broad Hinton, Berwick Bassett, Winterbourne Bassett, Highworth and Sevenhampton.
Hertfordshire
Dane End, Great Munden and Ware
Staffordshire
Rugeley, including Wolseley Bridge, Blithbury, Colton; Cannock; Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley; Shareshill and Essington
Take note that Openreach’s Full Fibre (FTTP) network already reaches more than one million premises across Wales, as well as 200,000 across Wiltshire, 360,000 properties across Devon, 350,000 across Hertfordshire, 310,000 properties across Staffordshire and 520,000 properties across Lancashire (much of that came via commercial builds). The new contracts will push beyond this, tackling both new locations and also expanding coverage into some existing areas (infill).
The above only reflects part of the contracted counties and countries, so additional build announcements will follow as other areas reach the same stage. Most of these contracts will take several years to fully deliver.
Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:
“I’m thrilled to see spades in the ground to bring fast, reliable broadband to communities in [rural areas] that have long struggled with poor connectivity – powered by our investment through Project Gigabit.
This isn’t just about faster internet. Whether it’s families streaming without interruption, farmers adopting smart technologies, or small businesses reaching new markets, we’re laying the foundations that drive economic growth and unlock opportunity across the country as part of this government’s Plan for Change.”
The new service, once live, can be ordered via various ISPs, such as BT, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, Vodafone and more (Openreach FTTP ISP Choices) – it is not currently an automatic upgrade, although some providers have started to do free automatic upgrades as older copper-based services and lines are slowly withdrawn.
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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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Lytham St Annes needs public subsidy, really? It’s virtually a suburb of Blackpool.
It will almost certainly be reflecting just a pocket of surrounding premises (infill), outside the main area, I suspect.
Openreach once again left out Shropshire?
In Southerness we have no indoor signal for mobiles and broadband is fed by antique copper cable. Totally useless, please help as we are paying same amount as thousands who have perfect signal.
Regards
William
That is not how these contracts work, it is the government who decide what regions are covered under each lot
Hopefully Lot 17 (Cheshire) will also be switched to a Type C contract shortly, as there doesn’t seem to have been any news since Freedom Fibre dropped out 4 months ago.
Overbuild should not be allowed before 98% FTTP availability is delivered.
Availability is more important than competition OFCOM.
PS Openreach maps tell lies about availability so don’t believe the PR spin.
That’s not going to get private investment, they just wouldn’t have bothered
In areas not covered by public subsidy, Openreach (rightly) has freedom to donbuoldnor not to build based on it’s own commercial decisions.
These are properties that the rolling OMR (Open Market Review) has determined do not have full fibre connectivity and no other build is planned within 3 years. So no overbuild – unless a supplier has lied to the OMR process – which was likely in the “land grab” days but unlikely now.
Translation: overbuild should not be allowed until you’ve been covered.
Yes but if you live in a town in Kent. Folkestone to be exact surrounded by new builds and 900mb fibre available yards from your house. But some reason it’s to difficult for them to connect us. They will tell us why due to data protection. Just ordered Star Link
Some of the areas mentioned in Devon are already part way to completion. Langtree for instance has already hit 76% coverage via Gigabit build, with pons being commissioned each week. The work being carried out for ultra rural areas is incredible. Unfortunately Openreach and it’s build partners will never get the credit they deserve as most of the public don’t understand just how difficult it is to build a completely new network.
If the government had insisted that no licences would be issued for any fibre contracts unless rural area were supplied in conjunction with town and city contracts we’d already have 100%
Unlikely.
No, we wouldn’t. Making it harder for investors to make a return means they put their money elsewhere.
Pre-Privatisation British Telecoms, plans for Fibre & FTTP were already well advanced. In 1984, BT was Privatised, and the well advanced plans were shelved. In favour of diverting massive amounts of money to Shareholder dividends. So the UK languished in Analogue hell for decades, because of a Tory government more interested in Profit than, extending Digital communications to all. So people, know who to blame, when they struggle with analogue Copper connections, in a world gone digital…
Maerdy Rhondda Valleys, already covered partially, still they miss out Tylorstown in the one area! Unless they decide to catch the 170 bus here and cover the houses they missed a few years ago?
I and and 10 other household live 2 miles in each direction from a fibre cabinet. Telepnone poles currently exist carrying copper but there are no plans to use them for overhead fibre – why not. Our broadband is at best 2mbp effectively useless. This government only invests where it belives it can get votes is the midlands and the north. It has no interest or concern for rural properties.
Are you saying you want to know why they won’t deploy 4 miles of fibre along with associated infrastructure to serve 10 properties? 640 metres of fibre per property?
The kinda regular budgeted distance between properties is 10 or so metres if that helps.
There might be poles, but they may need replacing, which may require road closures, heavy tree cutting, etc. Plus you need to get the fibre to the poles, there may not be enough spine fibres to supply a splitter for the 10 houses, so potentially a new spine of whatever distance or a Subtended Head end IF there’s enough fibres to supply that very expensive piece of kit. There is alot more to fibre build than the fact that your house has existing poles going to it.
As stated it’s likely road closures, etc would be needed given it sounds fairly remote. The cost of cabling per span, splicing, proving spine fibres (DSLAM’s will have very few fibres blown in). Even one span of tree cutting could boost the cost by £50 per property
No exactly how you feel. Been in the same situation for many years. Also I have been lied to on numerous occasions regarding build plans from Openreach. I ordered Starlink two days ago. Will be connected tomorrow to 150 MPs or better that’s what I call service.