Openreach is delivering full fibre broadband to 38 rural UK communities through Project Gigabit, aiming to connect 290,000 hard to reach properties. The initiative is already boosting business, education and local economies, with potential to add £66 billion to UK GDP and support remote work.
Nokia has joined forces with Openreach to deploy its ONE Network platform to enhance fibre network automation across the UK. By leveraging Nokia’s Altiplano and NSP controllers, Openreach can automate its fibre services.
Broadband infrastructure provider Openreach has unveiled plans to extend its full fibre broadband services to 517 additional locations across the UK, bringing fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) to an extra 2.7 million homes and businesses. This ambitious rollout includes 400,000 homes in rural areas, highlighting Openreach’s commitment to bridging the digital divide.
A recent market study by INCA (Independent Networks Cooperative Association) and Point Topic reveals that alternative network builders in the UK have collectively expanded fibre infrastructure to more premises than BT’s Openreach unit. By the end of 2023, UK altnets had reached 12.9 million premises with fibre, exceeding Openreach’s coverage of 12.8 million.
Openreach, UK’s primary broadband provider, is proposing legislations that’ll speed up fibre broadband installations in Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs). This initiative is due to the lengthy authorizations processes, known as wayleaves, resulting in significant cost. However, critics argue this could infringe on property rights.
In a remarkable feat of engineering, Openreach, the UK’s leading digital network provider, is illuminating approximately 60,000 new premises every week, equivalent to the size of Tunbridge Wells in Kent. With a commitment to a £15 billion investment, the company aims to connect 25 million buildings by 2026, with a subsequent target of 30 million by the end of 2030.
APFN has completed a major consolidation, merging five firms into two core entities: APFN for wholesale and Cuckoo for retail, both now owned by Fern Fibre. The company also launched aquila, a national fibre platform, and introduced new leadership, marking a pivotal shift toward streamlined operations and future growth in the UK.
Openreach urges UK businesses to move quickly to digital networks as the Public Switched Telephone Network faces shutdown by January 2027. Delays risk severe disruptions to payment systems, alarms, and phones. With free testing and support available, companies must review, test, and switch promptly to avoid increased costs, security risks, and missed growth opportunities.
BT and Openreach have secured a £9.8 million contract to deliver high speed broadband to over 1,700 underserved sites in Southwest Wales. This major infrastructure project aims to bridge the digital divide, boost connectivity in remote areas, and support economic and social development.
AllPoints Fibre Networks has unveiled Aquila, a wholesale fibre platform designed to simplify broadband access for UK providers. By unifying major networks and offering a user-friendly API-driven portal, Aquila enables fast, scalable service delivery to around 19 million premises, eliminating complexity and accelerating market entry for Communication Service Providers.
