Openreach plans for wider UK rollout of Next Gen Full Fibre

Engineer splitter

Openreach is planning to upgrade more of its Full Fibre network to deliver even faster broadband speeds, greater capacity and a more future-ready platform designed to support the next generation of digital services.

The business aims to expand the rollout of XGS-PON[i] technology, capable of supporting much faster speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps).[1]

The new technology can go beyond today’s top download speeds of 1.8Gbps on Full Fibre and push up to 8.5Gbps - 28 times faster than the download speed a typical UK household experiences today.[2]

Openreach intends to make the new ‘turbocharged’ speeds available to more than a million premises over the next 12 months - building on an ongoing XGS-PON pilot launched in March this year across 40,000 residential premises in Guildford and surrounding areas.

Over the longer term, the business is looking to expand the future-proofing technology to cover around a third of its Full Fibre network over the next five years, through a programme of further build, network upgrades and equipment modernisation and will continue to review further expansion opportunities based on market demand, and feedback from its Communications Provider customers.

Openreach's Full Fibre network – which now reaches more than 23.4m premises - is built largely using GPON[3] technology, which already delivers ultrafast Gigabit broadband services. But as more people move onto fibre and demand for data continues to grow, newer technology is needed to unlock even higher speeds and additional network capacity.

Trevor Linney, Openreach’s Director of Network Technology, said:

“Our Full Fibre network already offers Gigabit capable broadband to more than 23.4 million premises, and more than 9.4 million customers have upgraded so far. As demand for data continues to grow, our investment in XGS-PON technology will enable us to offer even higher speeds over the same network, and the additional capacity needed to support the UK's digital future.

“By continuing to invest in upgrades, we’re delivering a platform that will power the next generation of technology, from AI-enabled services, smart homes and future mobile networks, to cloud-based business and public services.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

What is XGS-PON?:

• XGS-PON; ‘X’ means it’s capable of 10Gigabits per second and ‘S’ means it’s capable of symmetric speeds i.e. the same for both uploads and download
• PON ; Passive Optical Network - is called "passive" because the equipment between the exchange and the customer doesn't need power; it uses optical splitters – kit that allows a single high-capacity fibre connection to be shared between multiple premises - making it highly reliable, energy efficient and cost-effective.
• Symmetric speeds give customers the ability to upload as quickly as they download. Some emerging applications require large amounts of data to be sent as well as received, for example, AI applications, cloud-based computing, and telehealth – such as uploading high-resolution scans and diagnostic information
• Fibre is the foundation of mobile connectivity. XGS-PON can provide the high-capacity backhaul needed for expanding 5G networks and eventually future 6G deployments
• The industry is already developing standards beyond XGS-PON, including 25G-PON and 50G-PON see Openreach run 'hyper-fast' 50Gbps broadband line in UK first. The move to XGS-PON prepares networks for those future upgrades while making use of the same fibre infrastructure.
• Further details on XGS-PON pricing and availability will be made nearer launch.

[1] 8Gbps at current retail ISP level offering. Customer speeds remain dependent on CP product availability and suitable customer equipment/router capability

[2] Based on Openreach 8Gbps product that consumers could see on a speed test with the right home equipment. Ofcom's Connected Nations 2025 report: UK's digital infrastructure progress | Natalie Black CBE posted on the topic | LinkedIn

[3] GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) is the fibre optic technology used in most of Openreach's existing Full Fibre network, delivering today's ultrafast broadband services.