Openreach Rolls Out Full Fibre to 43,000 Homes in Beckenham

Openreach, the UK’s digital network business, has announced a major full fibre rollout in Beckenham, bringing ultrafast broadband to over 43,000 homes and businesses. The £13 million project is part of Openreach’s £15 billion investment to reach 25 million premises by December 2026.

Faster Speeds and More Reliable Connections

Full fibre broadband offers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, about 15 times faster than the local average of 66 Mbps. It’s also up to five times more reliable than copper-based broadband.

"We’re thrilled to have access to full fibre," said Sarah Thompson, a Beckenham resident. "With two kids doing online school and my husband and I working from home, our old connection just couldn’t keep up. Now we can all be online at once without any lag."

Future-Proofing Beckenham’s Infrastructure

Openreach is using the latest fibre optic technology to future-proof Beckenham’s digital Infrastructure. Full fibre is capable of handling even higher speeds as technology advances, ensuring the area will remain digitally competitive for decades to come.

"This investment is a huge boost for Beckenham," said local councillor James Davies. "Reliable, high-speed broadband is essential for attracting businesses, supporting remote work, and improving quality of life. We’re grateful to Openreach for their commitment to our community."

Faster Rollout with New Techniques

To speed up the rollout, Openreach is using innovative techniques like micro-trenching, which allows fibre to be laid with minimal disruption to roads and pavements. This means less digging, faster installation, and quicker access to full fibre for residents.

"The Openreach team has been brilliant," said Mark Johnson, another Beckenham resident. "They laid the fibre on our street in just a couple of days, with hardly any mess. We were up and running on full fibre within a week."

Partnering with Internet Service Providers

Openreach doesn’t sell directly to consumers, but instead works with over 660 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who use the Openreach network to offer broadband packages. Major ISPs like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone are already offering full fibre in Beckenham, with prices starting around £25 per month.

"We’re excited to bring full fibre to even more of our Beckenham customers," said a spokesperson from BT. "With speeds up to 1 Gbps, households can enjoy buffer-free streaming, seamless video calls, and lightning-fast downloads. It’s a game-changer."

Openreach’s Ambitious Targets

Beckenham is just one of many areas across the UK benefiting from Openreach’s ambitious full fibre rollout. The company aims to reach 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026, with 4 million of those in London alone.

Over 7.2 million premises can already order full fibre from Openreach, with 2.2 million more to be reached by the end of 2022. As Openreach ramps up its build rate to 4 million premises per year, even more communities will soon enjoy the benefits of this cutting-edge technology.