29/07/2020 For Information
This briefing is for NGA Communications Providers (CPs).
Openreach is announcing detailed plans for bringing full fibre FTTP to 3.2 million homes and businesses
We’re pleased to announce today, 29 July 2020, our plans to make full fibre FTTP available to 3.2 million homes and businesses in some of the UK’s hardest to serve communities.
This forms part of our £12 billion investment to meet our target to build FTTP infrastructure to 20 million premises throughout the UK, by the mid-to-late 2020s.
We’re also publishing an extended list of 251 locations in the final third of the UK, where we will be building the new network over the next three years, including the likes of Millom, Thurso, Ballycastle and Aberystwyth.
These plans will give greater certainty to our CP customers as well as local authorities and investors and supports the Government’s strategy to accelerate commercial investments in Full Fibre networks throughout the UK.
Our announcement follows Ofcom’s publication of a new consultation today, that proposes that such a build commitment from Openreach will be sufficient for them to extend the fibre enablers previously set out in their Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR) consultation for Area 2, to Area 3 - the UK’s hardest to reach ‘final third’.
Openreach CEO, Clive Selley, said: “This year we’ve all seen the importance of having a decent broadband connection and at Openreach, we’re convinced that Full Fibre technology can underpin the UK’s economic recovery.
“Right now, we’re building a new, ultra-reliable full-fibre network that will boost productivity, cut commuting and carbon emissions, and connect our families, public services and businesses for decades to come. It’s Ofcom’s proposals that give us the right conditions to build commercially in hardest to reach areas.
“We’re determined to use inventive engineering solutions and effective partnership funding models to reduce costs and enable us to connect as many communities as possible across the UK without public subsidy.
“Openreach is leading the charge to help Government achieve its target of making gigabit capable networks available nationwide by 2025. And we hope that by publishing our own plans, we can help ensure that taxpayers only fund connections in communities that really need public support.”
Full details of the announcement can be found on the Openreach news pages here.
Details of Ofcom’s consultation announcement can be found here.
More information
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