UK premises with full fibre option hits 66 per cent

The latest statistics from comparison expert Thinkbroadband has revealed that 66 per cent of businesses and homes in the UK now have the option of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband.

Research from the company suggests that the greatest contributor to the recent growth is the BT-owned telecoms company Openreach, which is charged with building and running the UK’s broadband network.

However, notable efforts from CityFibre and nexfibre, along with almost a hundred alternative networks (alt-nets), have also played an important part in progress made.

Gigabit capable broadband, which combines full-fibre networks and Virgin Media DOCSIS 3.1, currently sits at 82.53 per cent, and is close to making its government target of 85 per cent by September this year.

At 66 per cent, full fibre in the UK is lower than coverage for Gigabit footprint, as this removes the option of using the fibre/coax hybrid network. As a result, Thinkbroadband presently predicts it will take until August next year for UK full fibre to achieve an 85 per cent footprint.

Figures show that one in five UK premises have access to at least FTTP networks, and in some cases more, while others can’t connect to full fibre at all. Having more than one FTTP option available is a powerful asset to enterprises, as they can select the best type of broadband services to match their internet usage and budget.

However, to keep competitive, all active companies in the UK need fast and reliable broadband.