Hemel Hempstead and Kings Langley added to Openreach's future-proof broadband build plan

Openreach has announced a further 67 locations - including Hemel Hempstead and Kings Langley - in its Fibre Cities programme where it will be building its new, future-proof Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology, as part of a new tranche of build.

Work will begin in March 2021 and the build will take place over the next two years.

Overall, more than 560 towns, cities, boroughs, villages and hamlets have now been included in the company’s Fibre First programme – a £12 billion project to build ‘Full Fibre’ technology to 20 million premises throughout the UK by the mid-to-late 2020s, assuming the right regulatory and political fibre enablers are in place.

A simplified view of the build programme, including indicative maps, is available on Openreach's website.

Openreach will continue to publish details of its build plans on a rolling basis including new tranches of build when appropriate.

The information is being updated on a quarterly basis and includes details of the specific exchanges where FTTP is currently being built, has already been built, or where building will start within the next three months - this is the format used for all locations and exchanges part of the Fibre First Cities programme.

This gives stakeholders – like Communications Providers (CP), end-customers and council planners – valuable information to make informed decisions on their FTTP investments and sales efforts, helping to encourage more people to adopt and take advantage of the new service when it arrives.

Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said: "Despite the challenges of the pandemic we’re continuing to make great strides towards our goal to build ultrafast, ultra-reliable broadband to 20 million homes and businesses.

“This new digital platform can help the UK’s economy bounce back quicker from the Covid-19 crisis and, whilst a full recovery is likely to be measured in years rather than months, there’s strong evidence that Full Fibre broadband could help to turbo-charge that process.

“For homes, shops, GP surgeries and schools across the country it will mean fewer broadband faults, faster connections, and a consistent reliable network that will serve them for decades to come.”