REG - OFCOM - Ofcom’s final push towards full-fibre finish line

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RNS Number : 7923W  Office of Communications  17 March 2026

17 March 2026

 

Ofcom's final push towards full-fibre finish line to help bolster UK
productivity

·      Watchdog sets out rules to fuel full-fibre rollout through its
end phase

·      Millions of households and businesses set to get faster, better
connections, unlocking economic gains across the UK

·      Door open to gradual deregulation of Openreach - but only if
competition takes root

The availability of full-fibre broadband almost everywhere will lay the
foundations for productivity gains across the UK, according to Ofcom, which
today finalised plans for how it will enable further competition and
investment in the sector.

Today's announcement, which builds on our 2021 overhaul of how we regulate
Openreach, sets out the rules it must follow for the next five years, to see
the full fibre rollout by a range of companies through its final phase.

Nearly eight in 10 (78%) of homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up
from less than a quarter five years ago, in a rapid turnaround that has seen
the UK become one of the fastest builders of this infrastructure in Europe.

According to plans from the UK's broadband networks, with the right support
full fibre will reach almost 29 million properties by the end of 2027,
equivalent to well over nine in 10  1 .

With around a fifth of the country yet to get access to full fibre, every
upgraded connection means a home or business can do more online.

Whether that's a busy household where everyone can be online at the same time,
a factory able to seamlessly track its orders and automate its machinery, or a
digital start-up that can instantly test new versions of its app, better
broadband helps put the UK on a path to higher productivity.

Ofcom's new rules also come as AI is rapidly transforming businesses across
the country by radically cutting the amount of time needed to perform a range
of tasks.

As the technology requires a fast, reliable internet connection to work at
scale, the full-fibre rollout roaring ahead will be vital for supporting
productivity in every corner of the UK.

Ofcom's Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity, Natalie Black,
said: "Today marks a major milestone on the road to a better connected, more
productive Britain.

"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.

"But our mission isn't yet complete, and we're creating the right conditions
for the fibre rollout in its final phase.

"Our review of the rules has been an extensive and complex undertaking given
the nature of the market, and we appreciate the considered engagement from the
sector."

A broadband boost for Britain

Since Ofcom introduced a new regulatory framework in 2021 to drive competition
between different broadband networks, the fibre-rollout has been an
infrastructure success story.

The vast majority of the UK (87%) now has access to a Gigabit-capable network,
and full-fibre coverage stands at 78%, compared with just 6% in 2018. With
industry investing billions each year bringing better broadband to communities
up and down the country, the rollout is now reaching its end phase.

But the job is not yet done, and to realise the productivity potential of full
fibre for the UK economy, as much of the country as possible must have access
to it.

And looking ahead, 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. Every
new sign-up helps connect the country and power up its productivity.

Regulating a dynamic market

Today's announcement comes as the broadband market is changing rapidly, and
the framework of our regulation will stay in place to provide stability and
certainty.

People have more choice between broadband providers than ever before - around
three quarters have access to at least two networks, and nearly a third of the
country can choose between three. This has meant ever better services at
attractive prices.

But Openreach still retains significant power in the market and we're not at a
point where we can remove regulation entirely.

We want to see competition continue to develop, and are therefore maintaining
rules around its discounts and deals that could stifle investment and the
development of sustainable competition.

When we consider these offers, our approach will continue to be evidence-based
and take into account the state of the market through expert analysis. As
competition develops, there may be future scenarios in which we can relax our
position on Openreach offers.

To provide greater clarity, we have provided new guidance that explains how we
consider such requests.

Pillars for progress

To incentivise further investment and maintain momentum for the rollout, we
have today published how we will regulate the wholesale broadband markets from
April 2026 to March 2031.

Our decisions include:

·      Supporting competition. Openreach's competitors will continue to
have access to its ducts and poles at fair, cost-based prices, meaning they
can deploy their own networks quickly and economically across the UK.

·      Protecting quality of service. In less densely populated parts
of the UK, where Openreach is unlikely to face competition, we're introducing
new backstop standards around the speed and quality of repairs and
installations for Openreach's full-fibre services. Elsewhere, we expect
competition to drive service quality.

·      Acting on affordability. We will cap the nominal price that
Openreach can charge retail providers like Vodafone or Sky - who lease its
infrastructure - for download speeds up to 80Mbit/s, rather than 40Mbit/s at
present. The prices of higher-speed products will remain unregulated, so
providers have an incentive to invest in networks that can deliver faster
speeds.

·      Closing the copper network. As part of transitioning to
full-fibre networks and gradually shutting down old telephone exchanges,
Openreach should not have to incur unnecessary costs for running two networks
at the same time. We will progressively shift regulation away from copper
services to full fibre services, giving Openreach flexibility to encourage
customers to migrate off its old copper network  2 .

·      Looking to the future. If sustainable competition is still
emerging in 2031, when our next review is due to take place, we expect to
regulate in a way that supports it. Should we need to set price controls on
Openreach in the future, it would have the opportunity to earn a return above
the cost of its investment over time. Alternatively, if effective competition
emerges by the time of our next review, there will be no need for Ofcom to
regulate beyond access to ducts and poles.

Today's decisions will take effect from 1 April 2026.

Please visit the Ofcom website for further details:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/statement-promoting-competition-and-investment-in-fibre-networks-telecoms-access-review-2026-31

 

Analyst and investor call: 8.00am

There will be a conference call for analysts and investors at 8.00am UK time.

 

Accompanying slides will be available on the Ofcom website from 7.45am:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/presentations/

 

To attend the call, please register using:
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bb83d3e2-956a-4168-a67b-7db6f831e8fd@0af648de-310c-4068-8ae4-f9418bae24cc

 

Once you have registered, you will be provided with a unique webinar access
link. To ensure a smooth and secure experience for all participants, please do
not share your unique link. It is for your use only. If you have colleagues
who wish to attend, please encourage them to register in advance.

 

A replay and transcript will be made available on the Ofcom website in due
course after the call has concluded.

END

Notes to Editors

1.    Source: Data from networks published in Ofcom's Connected Nations
Planned Network deployments.

2.    Alongside our decisions today, we are consulting on the specific
conditions for when price protections on copper-based services should be
removed.

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