Celebrating getting next generation Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband to 12.5 million homes and businesses

We’re halfway there!

Hitting our targets is a big deal. Not just for us but for the country, and that's because, homes and businesses, from the brightest cities to the quietest hamlets are depending on us to get them the access to the brilliant broadband they need for the future.

From work to play, life has evolved to require us to be reliably and speedily connected.

Everything from banking to buying groceries is now done online. There’s always a file that needs to be shared urgently, business system that needs to synced, show that needs to be streamed, or zombie that needs to be killed in virtual reality.  And often our connection needs to handle many of these things happening at the same time.

As tech continues to evolve, these demands are only going to increase. And eventually, broadband that runs on traditional copper phone lines just won’t cut the mustard.

That’s why we started our multibillion pound mission to get Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband to 25 million homes and businesses by 2026. And why we’re delighted to have already reached the halfway point.

Broadband of the future

Because Ultrafast is made entirely from next generation fibre optic cables, instead of traditional copper wires, it is not only more resilient to weather damage, but capable of carrying information far faster and in greater quantities than traditional broadband.

The result? No more failed file transfers, embarrassing frozen faces in video calls, or unnecessary cliff hangers as your favourite Netflix show buffers at a snail’s pace. No more competing for bandwidth, and arguments about why your work meeting is more important than your kids completing the next Fortnight quest.

Just a super reliable, super speedy connection that’s always there when you need it, regardless of what others using it are doing at the same time.

The latest CEBR research shows that our work to build this kind of connection across the country could contribute as much as £72 billion to the UK economy.

And when you look at just a few of the homes and businesses that are benefiting from it already, its easy to see why. 

Improving business, changing lives

Take the Lake District’s Glaramara hotel for example. This rural retreat needed our help to keep up with a rapidly evolving digital world. Seemingly overnight, guests went from staying to escape, to expecting to remain connected to home, and everything from staff to tax suddenly needed to be managed online. Sadly, the hotel’s internet connection was not up to the job and things became so bad that staff had to go outside to sync bookings to their online system using mobile signal.

Fortunately our Fibre Community Partnership scheme saved the day, enabling locals to claim government funding so we could build the Ultrafast connection they needed. The Glaramara is just one of 3.5 million rural homes and businesses we’ve reached with the scheme in the last five years, and they’re flourishing, taking bookings with ease, offering business packages and at last being able to plan for the future.

Of course, it’s not just large companies that we've been able to help with Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband.

Career coach and expert multitasker Adele Leah, depends on her connection every day to take meetings and run virtual workshops with up to 100 people. Knowing her video calls will work without cut outs or delays, especially when juggling the school run alongside her business, means one less thing to worry about. And that, for a busy mum, is invaluable.

Peace of mind was also vital for Musician Dave Arcari, who we helped when COVID lockdowns stuck. A new Ultrafast, ultra reliable, broadband connection meant he could confidently hold livestream performances, safe in the knowledge they’d be slick and seamless. The resulting shows not only saved his livelihood, but enabled his fans to experience the joy of live music during what was otherwise a very challenging time.

Going further

Getting Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband across the country is a hugely complex national engineering project. And, despite a challenging economic environment, we’ve made great progress.

Four million homes and businesses are already benefiting from the next generation connection and with it, the freedom to continue to choose from the widest variety of service providers in the UK. Our service levels have never been better, and customers have rated us ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot.

But there’s still more to do. We are continuing to build across the country faster than ever before, regularly announcing new locations to ensure that as many people as possible can access the broadband of the future.

Learn more about our mission to deliver Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband to 25 million homes and businesses, including where we’re headed next.