Upgrade to Openreach ultrafast full fibre broadband ‘could deliver £66bn boost’
Openreach’s new full fibre network is available to more than 16 million homes and businesses across the UK.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Upgrades to Openreach’s ultrafast full fibre broadband could deliver a £66 billion boost to the UK economy in the next few years, research suggests.
The upgrade is expected to drive productivity gains and improvements to public services, including supporting more than 620,000 people back into the workforce, according to a report.
It was also estimated that more than a million people will be able to work from home with better connectivity.
Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: “Our new full fibre network is a growth and prosperity engine.
“This report highlights how it will create jobs, enhance connectivity, and drive economic improvements across each nation of the UK, but continued investment depends on a stable policy and regulatory environment.”
Openreach’s new full fibre network is available to more than 16 million homes and businesses across the UK and the company aims to reach 25 million by 2026, and 30 million by the end of the decade.
The research, conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Stantec, estimated that full fibre rollout could add £66 billion to the UK economy by 2029.