UK Broadband News & Updates

The latest UK broadband updates, provider news, fibre rollout stories, outages, Wi-Fi developments and switching information.

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LinkSpeed focuses on broadband stories that matter to everyday users: full fibre rollout, provider changes, outages, compensation, Wi-Fi performance, ping, jitter and what speed test results actually mean.

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Project Gigabit Building Digital UK

Project Gigabit reaches more than 340,000 premises through contracts

The latest progress figures for the UK's Project Gigabit programme show that 340,880 premises have been covered through its contracted broadband builds. That is an increase from 318,000 in September, with the planned contract footprint now standing at 861,890 premises. This places delivery at around 40% of the contracted total. Project Gigabit focuses on areas where commercial gigabit broadband investment is less likely to reach homes and businesses on its own. These figures relate to the contract programme rather than every government-supported connection, so they should not be read as the full extent of public broadband investment. The monthly increase nevertheless demonstrates continued progress in extending high-capacity connectivity to harder-to-serve parts of the country.

UK Broadband Openreach

Openreach to Stop Selling Copper Broadband in 112 More UK Exchange Areas

Openreach has announced the next stage of its move away from traditional copper phone and broadband services, identifying 112 additional exchange areas covering 619,724 premises across the UK.

Under the programme, providers including BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone receive a year's notice before Openreach stops selling new legacy analogue services at addresses where full fibre is available. The stop-sell policy applies in exchange areas where more than 75% of premises can access Openreach full fibre; it does not mean every existing copper connection is immediately switched off.

For households, the practical message is to check whether full-fibre broadband is available at their address, particularly before moving home or renewing an older copper-based package. Customers who still rely on a traditional landline should ask their provider how voice calling and any connected alarms or telecare devices will work after migration.

The announcement is another step in the UK's transition to fibre networks, which can offer faster and more reliable connections than older copper lines. Availability, prices and migration arrangements will vary by address and provider.

Source: Openreach announcement, 8 October 2026.

Security Ofcom

Ofcom keeps pressure on telecoms firms over scam calls and numbers

Ofcom continues to tighten expectations on telecom providers around scam calls, number spoofing and misuse of telephone numbers. Providers are expected to identify and block suspicious traffic where appropriate and follow rules intended to make it harder for fraudsters to impersonate legitimate UK callers. The work forms part of a broader push to improve trust in communications services as scams increasingly combine calls, texts and online channels.

Full Fibre Ofcom

Full-fibre speed race keeps pressure on UK broadband providers

The UK broadband market is moving further into a take-up and performance phase as fibre networks expand. Providers are increasingly differentiating through faster tiers, in-home Wi-Fi, reliability and pricing rather than simply whether full fibre is available. Multi-gigabit services remain a smaller part of the market, but their expansion is raising expectations across mainstream packages and putting pressure on networks and ISPs to demonstrate tangible performance benefits to customers.

Regulation Ofcom

Ofcom proposes fresh Openreach pricing flexibility

Ofcom has published proposals affecting the regulatory framework around Openreach as the UK continues its migration from copper to full-fibre broadband. The regulator is balancing incentives for network investment with the need to preserve effective wholesale competition. Any changes to pricing flexibility and regulatory safeguards will be closely watched by alternative networks and internet providers because Openreach’s wholesale terms have a major influence on retail broadband economics across the UK.

Industry UK Government

UK broadband competition enters a new phase after TalkTalk deal

The acquisition of TalkTalk and PlatformX by BT has immediate implications beyond the rescued businesses themselves. PlatformX has been an important wholesale connectivity supplier, while TalkTalk has remained one of the UK’s largest consumer broadband brands. The transaction arrives as full-fibre deployment matures and operators increasingly focus on customer take-up, wholesale scale and network utilisation. Competition authorities are now examining the deal, making its eventual structure an important issue for ISPs and alternative fibre networks.

Broadband BT Group / CMA

BT takes over TalkTalk and PlatformX in £400m rescue deal

BT Group has acquired TalkTalk Telecommunications Limited and PlatformX Communications Limited out of administration after TalkTalk’s sale process failed to produce a viable alternative. BT estimates the total FY27 cash impact at around £400 million. The deal covers TalkTalk’s 1.5 million retail customers and around 1 million wholesale customers, including connections supporting critical services. BT says TalkTalk and BT will continue to operate separately while regulators review the transaction. The CMA has opened a merger inquiry and the government has issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice.

WiFi 7 Community Fibre

Community Fibre introduces WiFi 7 router for London customers

London-focused full-fibre provider Community Fibre has introduced a WiFi 7 router as it upgrades the equipment available with its broadband services. The new Linksys SPNM70 supports the latest WiFi 7 standard and is being supplied as standard with the provider’s top 8.5Gbps package, while customers on other plans can add the router for an extra monthly charge. WiFi 7 is designed to make better use of modern wireless spectrum and improve capacity for homes with many connected devices, although the speeds an individual device can achieve will still depend on its own wireless hardware, local interference and the broadband package being used. The launch follows Community Fibre’s recent move into residential broadband speeds above 8Gbps in London.

Project Gigabit Building Digital UK

Project Gigabit contract builds reach 318,000 UK premises

The latest Project Gigabit contract update shows continued progress on publicly supported gigabit broadband builds across the UK. Building Digital UK figures reported for September put completed coverage under the main Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy contracts at 318,000 premises, compared with 296,770 in the previous update. The contracted programme currently covers around 846,770 premises in total, putting delivery at roughly 38%. Progress varies considerably between individual regional contracts, with some already complete and others still at an earlier stage. The figures specifically track premises delivered through the main contracted programme, so they should not be treated as the total number of properties reached by every form of Project Gigabit support, which also includes measures such as vouchers and earlier interventions.

Full Fibre FullFibre Ltd

FullFibre opens 2Gbps broadband tier across its UK network

Alternative full-fibre network operator FullFibre Ltd has launched a new 2Gbps wholesale broadband tier across its UK network. The service is available to the company’s internet service provider partners, which can use the faster tier to create new retail packages for residential and business customers. Because FullFibre operates primarily as a wholesale network, availability and retail pricing will depend on which ISP serves a particular address and whether it chooses to offer the new speed. The introduction of a 2Gbps option reflects the broader shift beyond gigabit-only packages as XGS-PON and other higher-capacity fibre technologies become more common in UK networks.

Copper Switch-off Openreach

Openreach names 180 copper switch-off priority exchanges

Openreach has published a league table highlighting 180 telephone exchanges where migration away from the legacy copper-based phone network is a priority. The exchanges are part of the wider move to digital, IP-based services, with Openreach targeting full closure of these sites in January 2027. The table is intended to show progress and encourage providers to move remaining customers onto replacement products. For households and businesses still using services tied to the old network, the change can affect traditional landlines and devices that rely on them, making it important to check how alarms, telecare equipment and other connected systems will operate after migration.

Project Gigabit Building Digital UK

Project Gigabit update shows £2.4bn committed to 1.2m premises

Building Digital UK’s latest Project Gigabit progress update reports that 43 contracts had been signed by May 2026, with about £2.4 billion committed to extend gigabit-capable broadband to roughly 1.2 million premises. The programme targets homes and businesses that are unlikely to receive commercial gigabit coverage without public support. The update also points to continuing work through procurements, vouchers and other interventions as the government seeks to improve connectivity in rural and harder-to-reach areas. For consumers, the figures show the scale of the publicly funded build still under way alongside commercial full-fibre rollouts.

Project Gigabit GoFibre

GoFibre reaches 1,000 Project Gigabit connections in Aberdeenshire

Scottish full-fibre provider GoFibre says it has passed a new milestone in its Project Gigabit deployment across Aberdeenshire, with more than 1,000 premises now connected to its network. The rollout is backed by a £7.4 million government contract intended to bring gigabit-capable broadband to harder-to-reach communities. GoFibre says more than 5,000 premises in the area can currently order service, with the build expected to reach more than 9,000 homes and businesses by spring 2027. The milestone illustrates how publicly supported fibre projects are moving from construction into live customer connections in rural parts of Scotland.

Full Fibre Community Fibre

Community Fibre connects first London home to 8.5Gbps broadband

Community Fibre has connected the first customer to its new 8.5Gbps residential broadband service in London. The XGS-PON package advertises speeds of around 8,200Mbps in both directions, making it a significant step up from the provider’s existing 5Gbps tier. The first installation went live in Beckton, Newham. The headline service is aimed at users who want exceptionally high capacity and is priced at £300 per month on a 24-month contract, so it sits well above mainstream broadband packages. For most households, the practical significance is less about needing 8Gbps today and more about how much headroom modern full-fibre networks can provide as multi-gigabit services become more widely available.

Industry ISPreview

Connected Britain reveals its 2026 UK broadband award winners

The Connected Britain Awards 2026 have recognised companies, projects and teams across the UK broadband and connectivity industry. The awards form part of the annual Connected Britain event and cover achievements across the telecoms sector, including alternative networks and digital infrastructure. For broadband customers, industry awards are not a substitute for checking local availability, price, contract terms and real-world performance, but they can highlight providers and projects attracting recognition within the sector.

Full Fibre ISPreview

Openreach says AI tools are preventing 3,000 fibre cancellations a month

Openreach says new AI-supported tools are helping it prevent around 3,000 UK full fibre broadband order cancellations every month. The systems are being used to identify and resolve problems that might otherwise cause an FTTP installation or order to fail. For consumers, fewer cancelled orders could mean a smoother transition to full fibre, although individual installation experiences will still depend on local network and property conditions. The development comes as Openreach continues its large-scale FTTP rollout across the UK.

Broadband Deals ISPreview

Giffgaff adds up to £300 contract buyout to full fibre plans

Giffgaff has added a contract buyout offer worth up to £300 to its UK full fibre broadband plans. The incentive is designed to help eligible customers switch before their existing broadband contract ends by contributing toward early termination charges. The move comes as giffgaff expands its full fibre service, which has recently reached millions of UK homes via the nexfibre and Virgin Media network footprint. Customers considering the offer should check eligibility, terms and the actual cost of leaving their current provider before switching.

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