Britain's broadband roll-out enters final stage with final fiber rules confirmed

Date:
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
Ofcom wants to focus on getting full-fiber into the hands of more UK consumers, targeting hard-to-reach areas.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Ofcom will continue to regulate BT Openreach for another five years 80Mbps speeds will be price capped (up from 40Mbps) The copper network is being phased out Britain is set to regulate the BT Openreach broadband network for another five years (until 2031), Ofcom has confirmed , with Openreach deemed to still have significant market power hence the continued regulation.

However, the intricacies of the deal spell a different story, with higher-speed broadband remaining unregulated in order to encourage investment and development. That said, the price cap will expand to cover higher speeds (80Mbps), up from 40Mbps, meaning consumers should have affordable access to quicker download speeds. Article continues below You may like Openreach is planning major price hikes to force business users off old copper networks Virgin Media O2 owners seal 2bn Netomnia deal in major UK fibre network consolidation VodafoneThree says mobile connectivity can create thousands of new businesses and billions in economic boost as it looks to kill off UK 'not spots' forever Ofcom spells out the next five years of UK broadband Per the latest figures, more than three-quarters (78%) of UK homes now have
full-fiber access, up from a tiny 6% in 2018. Similarly, 87% of premises have access to gigabit broadband, Ofcom states.

However, more than one in five (22%) UK homes still lack access to
full-fiber, hence Ofcom's plans to focus on completing rollout in harder-to-reach areas rather than increase the speeds of those who can access it. "The next frontier for fibre is customers taking it up, with more than half of those eligible for an upgrade yet to make the change," the regulator added.

And given the full-fibre rollout, Ofcom believes Openreach shouldn't be responsible for paying to keep two networks open at the same time, thus the old copper network is being phased out.

"Five years ago, we put in place new rules to drive competition between networks and get them building full-fibre broadband, which now reaches nearly eight in 10 homes and offices across country," Director for Infrastructure
and Connectivity Natalie Black wrote. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"But our mission isnt yet complete, and were creating the right conditions
for the fibre rollout in its final phase." Follow TechRadar on Google News
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