Full Fibre broadband reaching more Reading homes
More than 43,000 homes and businesses in Reading can now order some of the fastest, most reliable broadband in Europe thanks to a multi-million investment by Openreach.
And that number continues to rise, with engineers currently building the new Full Fibre broadband network throughout Reading and surrounding communities.
Thousands more properties in the town and nearby villages will soon be able to upgrade to ultrafast broadband – locals can use the Openreach fibre checker to find out if they can already make the switch.
The new technology is up to 16[1] times faster than the average UK broadband connection and around five times more reliable than the old copper-based network it’s replacing – but thousands of residents have yet to upgrade, with just 14 per cent of people adopting the service where it’s available, lagging behind the UK average of 35 per cent.
Martin Williams, Openreach Partnership Director, said: “Research shows that this new network will give businesses an edge and provide families and home-workers with future-proof connectivity.
“Our investment across Reading continues at pace, and we’re determined to deliver a great service which helps this community thrive and supports people to work from home easily, keep in touch with their loved ones and build connections and opportunities.
“Ultrafast broadband can have a huge impact on people’s lives and it’s great for the economy but upgrades aren’t automatic. People need to place an order with their chosen providers to get connected and we’ll do the rest. Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – which means people have lots of choice and can get a great deal.
“Even if you already have a decent enough service, it’s worth checking if you can upgrade, because full fibre is the future, and it provides the best broadband experience at great value for money. There’ll be no more worrying that your video call might freeze, or your files are failing to upload when everyone’s at home competing for bandwidth at the same time.”
Residents will be able to enjoy a host of online services and entertainment such as seamless streaming, and smooth online gaming experiences. While businesses can operate with certainty that their broadband will support all their day-to-day, business critical tasks such as video calls, banking and customer interaction via social media platforms.
Openreach has announced plans to invest in Full Fibre broadband for the majority of premises in 106 towns and villages across the South East. It’s part of the company’s plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026. You can find out more by visiting openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre.
[1] Median averages more accurately reflect the experience of consumers, as average performance is not distorted by a comparatively small number of very fast connections. This approach is in line with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)’s guidance on broadband speed claims
