Openreach hits record 4.8 million fibre premises in the UK – the fastest in Europe
Key Points
- Openreach passed 4.8 million UK premises with full fibre in the year to 31 March 2026, the fastest annual build by any operator in Europe.
- The total Openreach full fibre footprint reached 23 million premises, more than two thirds of UK homes and businesses, of which 6.3 million are in rural areas.
- The wholesaler is on track to hit its 25 million premises target by December 2026.
- Take-up across the network has passed 38%, with average wholesale revenue per broadband line up 4% to £16.70.
- BT Group Chief Executive Allison Kirkby announced the figures alongside full year FY26 results on 21 May 2026.
Openreach passed 4.8 million UK premises with full fibre in the 12 months to 31 March, the fastest annual build by any operator in Europe, parent BT Group said in its full year results on Thursday (21 May).
The total takes the wholesaler’s full fibre footprint to 23 million premises, covering more than two thirds of UK homes and businesses, with 6.3 million of those in rural and harder to reach areas.
Openreach remains on track to hit 25 million premises by December 2026, the target it accelerated last year and now expects to deliver on schedule.
In one instance, Openreach completed 1.5 million premises in a single three-month period between January and March 2026, its largest ever quarterly build, with on-time provisioning running at 89.6%.
Customer demand kept pace, with net additions of 553,000 in the quarter, 5% higher year-on-year, lifting the total number of homes and businesses connected to the Openreach fibre network to 8.8 million.
Take-up across the footprint has now passed 38%, which Openreach said is the highest among all major UK fibre providers. Average wholesale revenue per broadband line rose 4% to £16.70 over the year, driven by a CPI-linked price increase and a higher proportion of customers moving onto faster fibre tiers.
Openreach also reported that 93% of its independent customer survey responses scored its service between 8 and 10 out of 10, and that it met all Ofcom Quality of Service standards for both copper and Ethernet over the year.
“Our record-breaking Openreach full fibre build hit its upgraded target and today reaches more than two thirds of UK homes and businesses, keeping us well on track for our 25 million milestone by the end of December,” said Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive at BT Group.
Kirkby added that EE had extended its mobile lead over the same period, with 5G+ coverage rising to 73% of the population from 43% a year earlier.
Openreach broadband line losses came in at 825,000 for the year, slightly better than the 850,000 the wholesaler had guided to, and it expects losses of around 800,000 in FY27 as the migration away from copper voice and slower broadband services continues.
