Openreach CEO Katie Milligan discussed the company's progress toward a 25 million premises FTTP target by the end of 2026 and the challenges of scaling to 30 million by 2030. The interview also addressed regulatory hurdles with Ofcom, the impact of potential consolidation in the UK broadband market, and capacity constraints for the upcoming analogue phone switch-off.
Meeting these infrastructure milestones is critical for the UK's transition to a fully digital economy, as the 2027 analogue switch-off deadline looms. If Openreach successfully scales to 30 million premises, it solidifies a dominant wholesale position, yet the potential nexfibre and Netomnia merger suggests a shift toward a high-capacity duopoly with Virgin Media. This evolving market structure may force Ofcom to re-evaluate Significant Market Power designations, potentially granting Openreach more pricing flexibility if sustainable competition emerges. Watch for the release of the commercial build plan for the final 5 million premises to gauge the feasibility of the 2030 goal.
As operators navigate these large-scale deployments, network infrastructure theft incidents continue to pose significant operational challenges to maintaining service continuity.
Openreach CEO Katie Milligan has reaffirmed the company's goal to reach 25 million FTTP premises by December 2026. This infrastructure expansion is vital for the UK's digital transition ahead of the 2027 analogue switch-off. Achieving these targets remains critical for maintaining market dominance while facing potential competition from emerging high-capacity network consolidations.
Openreach aims to reach 25 million premises with full fibre (FTTP) by December 2026.
Openreach is working toward a target of 30 million premises by 2030, supported by a £15 billion investment from BT Group.
The 2027 switch-off is a critical deadline for the UK's transition to a digital economy, though current Emergency Voice Access capacity remains insufficient for all lines.
A potential merger between nexfibre and Netomnia could create a high-capacity duopoly, which may force Ofcom to re-evaluate Openreach's Significant Market Power designation.
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