Half of UK homes and business now have access to fast and reliable broadband due to Openreach’s investment in full fibre.
The milestone comes as broadband usage across the country is expected to reach record levels in 2024, reflecting the nation’s increasing reliance on high-speed connectivity.
Openreach has reached 78,000 new premises every week with its full fibre network.
In 2024 alone, the company extended coverage to an additional 4.2 million premises, bringing the total to 17 million premises.
Of these, 4.3 million are in more remote, rural and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring improved digital access for communities across the country.
Orders for full fibre increased by 26 per cent in the last year – around 68,000 orders every week, through more than 300 service providers selling fibre, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen using Openreach’s infrastructure.
Clive Selley, CEO, Openreach, said, “Fast, reliable connectivity is essential for the UK, and the increased traffic on our broadband network is evidence that customers are increasingly reliant on it in their daily lives.
“We’re building and connecting people faster than ever before and I’m proud of the progress our engineers have made. We’re well on our way to delivering our ambition of reaching 25 million homes and business by the end of 2026, and now our sights are set on reaching 30 million premises by the end of 2030.”