Thousands of new homes could miss out on ultrafast broadband, Openreach warns
Developers are being urged to ensure that people do not miss out on ultrafast, full fibre broadband when they are buying new properties.
Digital network operator Openreach said about 3,000 new properties a year are missing out on full fibre technology.
Openreach installs full fibre networks free of charge to all new housing developments of 30 or more homes and said it has cut prices by more than three-quarters for smaller sites where it will co-fund work.
Full fibre is capable of broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second, more than 20 times faster than the current UK average.
Matthew Kirkman, Openreach’s director of infrastructure solutions, said: “Full fibre is the future. Scotland’s digital journey from copper to full fibre will take years, with the UK Government having an ambition for everywhere to have access by 2033.
“Developers building entirely new housing have a great opportunity to be right at the forefront. Many are already on board, with around 87% of new homes in Scotland signing up with us for full fibre. The remainder are split between a superfast service via fibre to the cabinet, or copper.
“We want to build closer relationships with Scottish developers large and small, and show how we can help them create future-proof networks in their new developments – and why it matters.
“Research from the London School of Economics has shown that the standard of connectivity has a direct impact on house pricing, so building reliable, ultrafast connections in new developments is a no-brainer.
“We want to see full fibre installed in all new developments, and all residents having access to a competitive retail market through our open network.”
Edinburgh is the first city in Scotland – and one of the first in the UK – to be included in Openreach’s rollout of full fibre technology.
More than 30,000 premises can already connect in areas of the city such as Abbeyhill, Corstorphine, Roseburn, Gorgie, Haymarket, Murrayfield and Newington.
