Openreach accelerates broadband upgrades with 21 new build locations

19 million homes can now order the UK’s most reliable broadband technology from Openreach and seven million already have

Openreach, the UK’s largest wholesale broadband network, has added a further 21 locations to its Full Fibre rollout – as part of a plan to reach up to five million more homes and businesses during the year to March 2026.

The new locations will cover as many as 80,000 rural and urban premises across the country including; Belmont, in Lancashire; Cheriton Bishop, in Devon; Didcot, in Oxfordshire; Innsworth, in Gloucestershire; Silverdale, in Lancashire; and Woburn Sands, in Buckinghamshire.

The company continues to build its new network and connect customers faster and further than any other provider in the UK - reaching an average of 85,000 new premises every week – equivalent of a town the size of Weston-super-Mare. This means another home or business can order Full Fibre every five seconds.

Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach said: “This is a UK infrastructure success story, so it makes sense for us, and the country, to push hard on the accelerator pedal. Our new network is helping to drive economic growth, create jobs, and will be the backbone of a prosperous, globally connected and competitive UK.

“Last year was our biggest year of build ever - reaching well over four million homes with this life changing technology. No other builder across Europe has achieved that kind of build rate and this year will be our biggest ever.”

In the year from April 2024, Openreach extended its network to another 4.3 million premises – or one home or business every eight seconds – its biggest year of build ever. It’s now accelerating the build to reach up to five million more in just 12 months.

In total, more than 3,500 UK towns, cities, boroughs, villages, and hamlets have so far been included in Openreach’s build programme, with many more being reached through publicly funded partnerships.

More than seven million homes and businesses have already upgraded to use the new network - 37% of a growing footprint - and Openreach expects to connect even more this year.

Ultimately, Openreach expects to make Full Fibre available to as many as 30 million premises in all corners of the UK by 2030, assuming there’s a supportive economic and regulatory environment.

This short video explains what Full Fibre technology is, to find out if you can order Full Fibre today or when it will be available in your area, visit the Openreach Fibre Checker HERE

List of 21 new build exchanges: