Openreach Fibre Rollout Goes Full Speed Ahead in 2020
The Openreach fibre rollout is already proving to be a great British success story. Its aim is to deliver full fibre broadband across the UK. So far, results have been impressive and the delivery continues gaining momentum, set to break new records in 2020. Selectra brings you all you need to know.
Openreach: where and when is this happening?
You have probably already heard a little about BT Openreach and its fibre broadband plans. The company has been busy helping deliver superfast broadband across all networks. Over 96% of the UK now has access to this, which means their broadband speed are in excess of 24Mbps.
However, the future lies in full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).
While many people are already using fibre, it’s mostly Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC). While this is light-years ahead of its predecessors, FTTP promises to be even faster still because you’ll have pure fibre optic cables connected directly to your home or business. This means that your signal won’t cut out and you’ll enjoy speeds of up to a whopping 1,000Mbps!
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What are the next steps for the Openreach full FTTP delivery?
Openreach has stated that no one will be left behind and it will extend FTTP to every community in the UK. Openreach has already connected full FTTP to more than 1.8 million homes and businesses.
Here is what we can expect to see in the coming years:
- The Openreach Fibre First build programme will see delivery to 103 locations across Northern Ireland and Great Britain. There is a good cross section of major cities and smaller towns included, such as Aberdeen, Larne, Birmingham, Enniskillen, Exeter and Cardiff.
- The next target is to have 4 million premises connected to FTTP by the end of March 2021. Openreach has announced that this phase will also include 227 market towns, rural areas and villages. In total, this will benefit around 250,000 homes and businesses.
- It is aiming to have delivered FTTP to 15 million homes and businesses by the mid-2020s.
We won't be just the fastest full fibre builder in the UK but we'll be its national dependable full fibre delivery machine for years to come. Clive Selley - CEO, Openreach
When can you get Openreach FTTP?
Openreach doesn’t sell products to the general public. Rather, Openreach is there to maintain the current network and upgrade it.
Openreach works on behalf of more than 640 communications providers. Some of these providers include Sky, BT, TalkTalk and Vodafone.
If you want to know when you can get access to FTTP, you should speak to your provider.
Benefits of fibre: what’s the rush?
Moving everyone onto full fibre will bring enormous benefits to individuals as well as the UK as a whole. Openreach fibre has already broken new ground by reaching some remote sites such as farms, castles and other entertainment venues outside of towns. This has better enabled these businesses to run their operations efficiently and promote themselves online.
The overarching benefit to those upgrading their broadband is massively increased speeds. In this fast age that we live in, time is a precious resource. By having faster internet we will be able to save time by performing tasks in a matter of seconds (goodbye spinning wheel!). To put this into perspective, FTTP will enable you to download a two-hour HD movie in just 25 seconds.
More importantly, for those currently without a fast internet connection, the benefits will be incomparable. Many smaller businesses and those in rural areas - with slow internet - will be able to compete on a much bigger playing field and use online tools to connect with suppliers and customers.
As a result of the Openreach nationwide fibre rollout, it is predicted that:
- 100,000s of people could re-enter the workforce with their new-found and/or enhanced connectivity, whether it be in the UK market or global marketplace.
- Many people may choose to move from cities into towns and villages, which will help generate rural growth both in economic terms and population.
- The need for commuting will go down. If we all have a stable internet connection then working from home will become even more popular. We’ve already seen a rapid increase in the number of people remote working in the past decade but this is set to sky-rocket.
- The UK economy could be boosted by £59 billion by 2025. By 2038 this figure is estimated to rise to £70 billion.
With the advent of FTTP, there is no limit to the societal changes we may see in the coming years. With so much transformation on the horizon, it’s a good thing you’ll have excellent broadband to keep up with everything (if you don’t already).
Watch this space for further developments on the FTTP delivery and new advancements in the industry, 5G being a notable influence in the not too distant future.