Openreach adds 3.2 million rural homes to Full Fibre roll-out plans
Openreach, the BT independent subsidiary responsible for fixed access network infrastructure, says it will add 3.2 million homes in rural areas to it Full Fibre roll-out plans. The company had previously pledged to reach more than 20 million homes across the UK by 2025 (see “BT to accelerate FTTP deployment plans”).
The company now says its fiber deployment plans cover rural and urban communities in 251 market towns and villages. The new target communities are in “hard to reach” areas of the UK, including East Anglia, Wales, the West Midlands, and the North West. Openreach says it will spend £12 billion on the effort. Among the benefits the company sees in bringing gigabit-capable infrastructure to these rural areas are increasing productivity, bringing people back into the work force, enabling people to work from home, and freeing people to move out of the cities.
Openreach says its fiber broadband network deployments have already passed more than 3 million homes and businesses.
"This year we’ve all seen the importance of having a decent broadband connection and at Openreach, we’re convinced that Full Fibre technology can underpin the UK’s economic recovery,” said Openreach CEO Clive Selley. “Right now, we’re building a new, ultra-reliable full-fibre network that will boost productivity, cut commuting and carbon emissions, and connect our families, public services and businesses for decades to come. It’s Ofcom’s proposals that give us the right conditions to build commercially in hardest to reach areas.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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