UK Gov Launch Address Checker for Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout UPDATE
The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has today launched a new address checker, which enables homes in England and Wales to see whether they’ll be able to benefit from the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband networks under their publicly funded £5bn Project Gigabit programme. But at the time of writing it’s “currently unavailable due to a technical problem“.
The project aims to help extend gigabit broadband (1000Mbps+) ISP networks to reach “nationwide” coverage (c.99% of UK premises) by 2032, focusing mostly on the final 10-20% in hard-to-reach areas. Some 90% of premises can already access such a network (here) and Ofcom are forecasting that this could reach up to 97% by January 2028 (here). Despite this, there are concerns that a funding shortfall might cause further delays (the target was originally 2030).
The new availability checker is said to be coming just as the “UK government’s rollout ramps up across the UK with Project Gigabit now rolling out to over 750 premises per day – the fastest rate since the programme launched in 2021.” Just to be clear, this deployment is actually being conducted by several contracted network operators and not the government itself (e.g. Openreach, GoFibre, Wessex Internet, CityFibre, Quickline and more). See the latest contract progress.
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Otherwise, the new GOV.UK service allows people in England and Wales to enter their postcode to instantly see if their home or business is covered by existing rollout plans, whether through the Project Gigabit scheme or the telecoms industry’s own commercial plans. Now quite why it’s taken them several years to do something like this is unclear, but perhaps it’s a case of better 5 years late than never? You be the judge.
However, in true government fashion, just as we went to give this a test, the service returned an error: “Update – 13 March 2026, 00:40. The address checker is currently unavailable due to a technical problem. Please check back later.” Great start.
Liz Lloyd, UK Telecoms Minister, said:
“Many rural communities have long struggled to do even the basics online due to slow internet speeds. Now, hundreds of households and companies are receiving government-funded upgrades every day – helping those who would otherwise miss out.
Our new address checker puts power in people’s hands to instantly find out when faster broadband is coming to their doorstep, helping them seize the opportunities of the digital age no matter where they live or work.”
As you’d expect the new tool includes the usual health warning about Project Gigabit’s deployment plans being tentative and subject to change, which is as much a reflection of the variability of each individual contract as it is of the fact that some contracts have recently been scaled-back, scrapped or switched suppliers due to wider market strains (here, here, here and here). “Data will be updated every 4 months. As part of the processing of data from external sources, we cannot guarantee complete accuracy of the gigabit broadband status of an address,” says the checker’s page.
For any premises that are not covered by current plans, the checker will instead redirect you to Ofcom to see which broadband suppliers are active in your area. People can then contact them to register their interest in an upgrade, which will help to demonstrate demand in their area and may help them decide to expand their rollout. “Even if a property isn’t currently under plans, there are further Project Gigabit contracts due to be announced in the coming months,” added the government.
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At this point the announcement briefly goes on to mention how the partially government funded Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme has separately built or upgraded 123 UK mobile masts to provide 4G coverage from all mobile network operators, including 50 in Wales, 43 in Scotland and 30 in England.
In addition, we also get a list of the Project Gigabit areas that Openreach are currently building in (they account of £1.2bn of the programme), which seems to ignore all of the other contracted network operators that are also involved in the programme.
Openreach’s Active Project Gigabit Builds
The information included in below reflects Openreach’s plans at the time of publication.
Hertfordshire: Hatfield, Ware Park, Wadesmill
Lancashire: Clayton le Dale, Briercliffe, Southfield, Pleasington, Tockholes, Oswaldtwistle, Great Harwood, Pendleton, Clitheroe, West Bradford, Waddington, Bashall Eaves, Whalley, Whalley Banks, Blacko, Turton, Belmont, Holcombe, Ormskirk, Scarisbrick, Leyland, Nateby, Scorton, Inskip, Longton, Hutton, Tarleton, Mere Brow, Hundred End, Hesketh Bank, Whittle‑le‑Woods, Southport
Surrey: Bisley, West End (Woking), East Clandon, Lower Eashing, Milford, Pirbright, Enton, Betchworth
Wiltshire: Sutton Benger, Brinkworth, Oaksey, Baydon, Clatford
Staffordshire: Wolseley Bridge, Tixall
Devon: Chulmleigh, Winkleigh, Harracott, Kentisbury, Combe Martin, Berrynarbor, Umberleigh, High Bickington, Chapelton, Atherington, Burrington, Dunkeswell, Burlescombe, Rockbeare, Bradninch, Newton St Cyres, Cowley
Somerset: Clapton in Gordano, Clevedon, Hewish, Rolstone, Potters Hill, Brockley, Backwell, Barrow Gurney, Winscombe, Winscombe Hill
Gwynedd: Tal‑y‑llyn, Tywyn, Bryncrug, Mynydd Nefyn, Rhydyclafdy
Swansea: Reynoldston, Knelston
Neath Port Talbot: Rhiwfawr
Montgomeryshire: Llanfair Caereinion, Llangyniew, Dolanog, Cyfronydd
Ceredigion: Rhos‑y‑garth
Wrexham: Brymbo, Ffrith, Penley, Wrexham, Hanmer, Halghton, Horsemans Green
Conwy: Cerrigydrudion, Llanddulas, Abergele
Shropshire: Much Wenlock, Six Ashes, Coton, Bridgnorth, Quatt, Quatford, Cantern Bank, Eardington, Oldbury
Project Gigabit Broadband Coverage Checker
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-your-gigabit-broadband-availability
UPDATE 10:54am
So far as we can tell from initial feedback, the new checker, which is now finally online, appears to be returning quite a few inaccuracies in its results. Some people report the checker is telling them they can get gigabit broadband, when they can’t, and in other cases the exact opposite is true.
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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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Big fan as I am on the list above in Bisley, Surrey and Openreach have laid full fibre outside in the last week. Sadly the new checker is currently telling me it is out of action due to a technical fault!
Same data is available at https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map#16/51.3231/-0.6338/omrsept25/ and has overlays for the various networks so I can see Oakwood Court that was OMR White has had some Openreach FTTP deployed to addresses in it.
And as usual it’s wrong. It says I can get gigabit broadband, but I can’t. Openreach are active now in this area, but their checker still says ‘within the next year’.
for me me its ays my area isn’t planned yet im fully live with a fibre service!
Really, my postcode shows planned as i enjoy my fttp, my rellies not showing on the OR sites as available, but on the gov site available. I doubt any alltnet has snuck in the last week or so.
I checked a small village/hamlet near me which got missed out of all the Suffolk Broadband roll outs because Openreach claimed they could get ADSL above 15Mbps when in reality they couldbarely get a signal.
This is what the checker says for every house there
”
There are multiple addresses at this location and there is no information that a supplier plans to deliver a gigabit broadband connection to this address but some other addresses in the building are included in supplier gigabit rollout plans.
What you can do next
You should contact the building owner or landlord first to find out if there are any plans to provide gigabit broadband to this address. ”
Looks like the checker is just another waste of public money
Having looked at Nottinghamshire Planned data is spectacularly wrong across the area it shows that Connexin are due to complete by July 2024!!!!! When they were bought out in March 2025 Cityfibre took over and so far not a single premise built. Are Cityfibre in trouble and going to pull the plug on builds like they did on their commercial side?
The data seems to be a bit dubious – I have checked my postcode in rural Oxfordshire and the new checker shows that my address it already has Gigabit broadband which it does not – max 52Mbps at moment.
I have been waiting for Gigabit for quite a while and know that Openreach has plans for Gigabit broadband to be implemented here, originally by March 2026. On checking the latest Openreach checker (https://www.openreach.com/fibre-checker/my-products), it shows that Openreach are “planning to build in this area”. It is not available yet.
It would be advisable to take the Gov info with a pinch of salt
I have just checked some postcodes within my village and there are some which show “accurate” data, but several that are showing what I know as incorrect data, either the address is not planned or that it is not available.
I have now fully analysed the differences between the new website and the January 26 data still available from BDUK. This analysis for my 5 parishes confirms the fact that there are significant differences for entire streets of properties which now are apparently “Not Planned” whereas in the January data, these same properties were classed as “White” indicating they were intended to be funded.
I have reported this to my local council’s data officer with the hope that he is able to get a response from BDUK. Another neighbour has also asked our local (Labour) MP. To date, we have NO response.
Yup – more misleading information.
It claims CityFibre should complete installation here on 1/8/2025.
But it is now 7 months later, and we have seen no evidence of any installation even being started!
Useless.
The idea of this is a good one but to be genuinely useful, it needs to be as accurate as possible.
The issues already pointed out here are unfortunate but as people only tend to post if there is a problem, it’s difficult to assess how widespread inaccuracies may be.
In our area, Openreach announced a commercial build back in January 2025 (status: building within the next year) whilst our properties were still in the Freedom Fibre Lot17 build for Cheshire.
The following month, FF handed the Lot17 contract back.
Openreach surveyors were here in November but it’s been quiet since then.
Today, the new BDUK checker indicates our properties are back in a Project Gigabit contract (presumably Call-off 8) as status ‘planned’.
Presumably, now that we are in Call-off 8, Openreach will plan our build in relation to the whole contract and their commercial build is no more.
One.network doesn’t show any pending roadworks for our area (which will be needed) so there doesn’t seem to be any build urgency.
Well, ‘we are building within the next year’ will be true eventually I suppose.
This shows a wider issue with checkers like this one and the defunct gigabit voucher checker.
BDUK and Openreach don’t really have a public face so how do potential mistakes actually get rectified ?
This, together with a 4 month update cadence means the checker seems of limited use. I don’t know any more, and possibly less, than I did before.
Magic
Hilariously, near me – Cornhill Village Shop (Cornhill, Northumberland, England) TD12 4UH says you need to enter a valid English postcode.
OK, I’ll try on the Scottish system… need to enter a valid Scottish postcode.
Why is Shetland not on the map ?
Tells me my address is planned
With an expected date of July 2024 and that Connexion will be doing the work
No work has been done, or even begun to be done
What’s happening
I’ll add to the seemingly out-of-date DB/error count.
I’m in the Lot 15 area that Full Fibre Ltd pulled out of last May (and for which I believe the tendering period for recontracting that lot terminated last month), but this new checker lists me as ‘Planned’, with the subsequent text saying ‘This address is currently included in one or more supplier’s broadband rollout plans and should gain access to a gigabit broadband connection without the need for a public subsidy.’ WTF! There is no way we are going to be a commercial build.
Checked Openreach’s fibre checker and get the usual tale: ‘We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet’.
This new checker appears to be of less use than a chocolate teapot is for making a brew.
I have sites delivered under bduk funding. Still says they are planned. Money well spent..
Great news – included in a plan – contract due to complete by 30/09/2030… Already knew that much.
Openreach could do with being a bit more forthcoming with the ballpark dates of their call off contracts and .gov should be making them publish that info – can’t hide behind “sensitive commercial information’ when its a signed and sealed BDUK contract.
Result for my address remains the same, even after raising the issue several times with local MP.
A cluster of 20 properties Fibrus could not supply.
I am guessing we are now forgotten.
Has there been any reason given why a build can’t take place ?
What does the checker say and does it mention Project Gigabit ?
There are a few reasons why a build might not happen. In the end, most network builders are fully commercial companies and if the numbers don’t stack up (even including any public subsidy) they simply won’t build.
Sadly, it doesn’t take much to make a small group of properties like yours uneconomic to reach and nobody can force a builder to do it, either within Project Gigabit or not.
Yes during the work on the street they hit a bridge – they actually did not know there was a waterway below, and they were digging into solid flood defences installed a few years ago….anyway they say they can’t get the fibre to the pole feeding these properties because of the underground waterway. The pole and some properties are literally 10-50 meters away from properties with full fibre.
As an added frustration they did initially tell customers the work was completed, told us to order. Many did, engineer turned up to find out pole not provisioned. Was a while before the information was passed on, meantime other providers turned up to find the same. Wasted a lot of people’s time.
Whenever I chase with BT or MP a date in the future is given for a solution to be created and service provided, the date expires, contact again, more promises, nothing happens.
Well, an obstruction like that may well make Fibrus (or indeed most network builders) walk away. If you were 500 properties it might have been a different outcome. On the other hand copper must be reaching you somehow for the existing service and 20 properties could be supplied by a single fibre.
Your best bet may be to get a second opinion from another engineer. They may concur that there is no viable option but they might suggest an alternative approach that doesn’t break the bank.
Frankly, you don’t have much to lose so I’d find someone like a retired BT engineer to eyeball the situation if you or your neighbours know of one.
If you are lucky, they might come up with something you can pester Fibrus (or Openreach) with.
Good Luck !
Thanks the copper runs from the street box up a building then in the air across to the poll.
Fibrus could supply no doubt, just not financially viable for them. Starlink may be a plan in the interim.
Using postcodes is not clever for the following reasons
1. Different dslams within the same postcode.
2. Ducting or other issues within the same postcode
3. Estate agents are miss informed when publishing property details.
To be fair OR within a postcode can be used to confirm the availability, if one is prepared to choose a different property address, my rellies street, it stops after property 8, they are at property 16!!
Using postcodes is not clever to determine speed for the following reasons
1. Different dslams within the same postcode.
2. Ducting or other issues within the same postcode
3. Estate agents are miss informed when publishing property details.
To be fair OR within a postcode can be used to confirm the availability, if one is prepared to choose a different property address, my rellies street, it stops after property 8, they are at property 16!!
I live in a semi-detached house (CF32) in a village with only Openreach FTTC at the moment, a mile-or-so from a town where Openreach and Virgin have been rolling-out gigabit for a few years:
“There are multiple addresses at this location and there is no information that a supplier plans to deliver a gigabit broadband connection to this address but some other addresses in the building are included in supplier gigabit rollout plans.
What you can do next
You should contact the building owner or landlord first to find out if there are any plans to provide gigabit broadband to this address.”
So either the mice have ordered full-fibre without telling me, or the shed out the back is eligible but not the house.
That’s exactly the same as my situation. Four freehold
Houses and the same message suggesting its flats. Does your address have a a letter in it (ie 22b) like mine – I wondered if it was an assumption that they’re flats.
No letter, just a house number, ever since it was built in the 50s.
The houses round here are all FTTC via poles, so who knows when we’ll get FTTP. I was still on 2+ Mb ADSL until 2022.
Just as an update @Neil – I emailed BDUK about this and although I’ve not had a reply, I checked again today and while the status of my property has not changed, it now says:
“We are considering whether this address could be included in a Project Gigabit contract or what alternatives might be available to improve the broadband connection to this address.”
So the assumption that it is MDU is now gone. Not sure if this is coincidental or as a result of my email! Maybe check again.
Interesting…mine now says the same. Your email (and perhaps others) might have alerted them to an issue.
Its a big improvement 😉 Still says I might be eligible for a voucher. Thanks R100.
Good to see BDUK is United and not ‘divided’ into just ‘countries’ for a holitic UK view and not just BDE and BDW… offloading Scotland and NI/the Eu ‘UK’ territory!