Chancellor welcomes Openreach's 20m milestone

Britain’s broadband revolution has hit a major milestone - 20 million homes and businesses can now access the UK’s most reliable broadband technology, thanks to Openreach’s nationwide infrastructure upgrade.

Openreach’s engineers – with support from UK Government and other partners - have now laid full fibre cables in cities, towns and villages throughout the UK.

Reacting to the news, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, said:

"I congratulate Openreach for reaching 20 million homes and businesses with full fibre broadband. This is good for growth, giving businesses the digital infrastructure they need to thrive and create jobs and boosting living standards for millions of households.

“That’s why at the Spending Review we invested £1.9 billion in Building Digital UK, connecting more homes and businesses to gigabit broadband and are committed to giving 99% of homes and businesses access.”

Also reacting to the news is Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd, who's said:

‘This is a major milestone on the government’s plan to deliver gigabit broadband to all parts of the UK.

'That's twenty million more homes and businesses now able to benefit from lightning-fast broadband – whether it's for ordering your weekly groceries, processing orders for your business, or helping your children with their learning online, millions more can get on with the important things in life.

'Bringing us closer to our ambition of 99% gigabit coverage by 2032, this world-class connectivity doesn't just close the digital divide, it opens doors to opportunity in every corner of Britain.“