UK Volume 21

uk.superbrands.com Superbrands UK Annual Vol.21 Openreach builds and maintains the UK’s digital network . It connects families, schools, hospitals, libraries, businesses, broadcasters and governments to the world. Its mission is to build the best possible network with the highest quality service to ensure everyone in the UK can be connected Market As an open, wholesale network provider, Openreach’s customers are retail Communications Provider businesses like BT, Sky, Talk Talk, Vodafone and Zen. Its network supports more than 650 of these businesses who, in turn, use Openreach’s products and services to provide their customers with landline, broadband, TV and data connections. The vast majority of Openreach products and services are regulated, meaning prices, terms and conditions are the same, no matter who buys them. The company employs more than 35,000 people, in communities all over the UK and it’s in the middle of a £12bn project to build the next generation of ultrafast, ultra-reliable ‘Full Fibre’ broadband. This new network offers a faster, more reliable and future-proof broadband service, capable of delivering download speeds 15 times faster than today’s UK average. The ambitious nationwide build programme is currently reaching 39,000 premises every week – with 560 locations included in the plan so far. Product Openreach’s strategy is all about delivering better service, broader coverage, and faster broadband speeds to people throughout the UK. Its wholesale products include: Standard, Superfast and Ultrafast broadband; dedicated high-speed business lines (known as Ethernet and optical services); and access to its UK-wide network of ducts and poles. Achievements Over the last decade, Openreach has made Superfast broadband available to more than 28 million homes and businesses. This mainly used its Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology, and the investment has put the UK in a strong position, with more than 96% of homes and businesses now able to order superfast speeds. However for Openreach, Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband is the future. The company has already made this technology available to 3.5 million homes and businesses, and it’s continuing to accelerate the build. Openreach ultimately wants to be the UK’s largest Full Fibre broadband provider, reaching at least 20 million UK homes and businesses by the mid-to-late 2020s. Openreach is building Full Fibre broadband to another home or business every 20 seconds DID YOU KNOW?