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Ofcom’s final push towards full-fibre finish line to help bolster UK productivity

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Phones and broadband Telecoms infrastructure News and updates News Published:
17 March 2026
- Watchdog sets out rules to fuel full-fibre rollout through its end phase
- Millions of households and businesses set to get faster, better connections, unlocking economic gains across the UK
- Door open to gradual deregulation of Openreach – but only if competition takes root
The availability of full-fibre broadband almost everywhere will lay the foundations for productivity gains across the UK, according to Ofcom, which today finalised plans for how it will enable further competition and investment in the sector.

Today’s announcement, which builds on our 2021 overhaul of how we regulate Openreach, sets out the rules it must follow for the next five years, to see the full fibre rollout by a range of companies through its final phase.

Nearly eight in 10 (78%) of homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from less than a quarter five years ago, in a rapid turnaround that has seen the UK become one of the fastest builders of this infrastructure in Europe.

According to plans from the UK’s broadband networks, with the right support full fibre will reach almost 29 million properties by the end of 2027, equivalent to well over nine in 10 [1].

With around a fifth of the country yet to get access to full fibre, every upgraded connection means a home or business can do more online.

Whether that’s a busy household where everyone can be online at the same time, a factory able to seamlessly track its orders and automate its machinery, or a digital start-up that can instantly test new versions of its app, better broadband helps put the UK on a path to higher productivity.

Ofcom’s new rules also come as AI is rapidly transforming businesses across the country by radically cutting the amount of time needed to perform a range of tasks.

As the technology requires a fast, reliable internet connection to work at scale, the full-fibre rollout roaring ahead will be vital for supporting productivity in every corner of the UK.

Ofcom’s Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity, Natalie Black, said: “Today marks a major milestone on the road to a better connected, more productive Britain.

“Five years ago, we put in place new rules to drive competition between networks and get them building full-fibre broadband, which now reaches nearly eight in 10 homes and offices across country.

“But our mission isn’t yet complete, and we’re creating the right conditions for the fibre rollout in its final phase.

“Our review of the rules has been an extensive and complex undertaking given the nature of the market, and we appreciate the considered engagement from the sector.”

A broadband boost for Britain

Since Ofcom introduced a new regulatory framework in 2021 to drive competition between different broadband networks, the fibre-rollout has been an infrastructure success story.

The vast majority of the UK (87%) now has access to a Gigabit-capable network, and full-fibre coverage stands at 78%, compared with just 6% in 2018. With industry investing billions each year bringing better broadband to communities up and down the country, the rollout is now reaching its end phase.

But the job is not yet done, and to realise the productivity potential of full fibre for the UK economy, as much of the country as possible must have access to it.

And looking ahead, the next frontier for fibre is customers taking it up, with more than half of those eligible for an upgrade yet to make the change. Every new sign-up helps connect the country and power up its productivity.

Regulating a dynamic market

Today’s announcement comes as the broadband market is changing rapidly, and the framework of our regulation will stay in place to provide stability and certainty.

People have more choice between broadband providers than ever before - around three quarters have access to at least two networks, and nearly a third of the country can choose between three. This has mea nt ever better services at attractive prices.

But Openreach still retains significant power in the market and we’re not at a point where we can remove regulation entirely.

We want to see competition continue to develop, and are therefore maintaining rules around its discounts and deals that could stifle investment and the development of sustainable competition.

When we consider these offers, our approach will continue to be evidence-based and take into account the state of the market through expert analysis. As competition develops, there may be future scenarios in which we can relax our position on Openreach offers.

To provide greater clarity, we have provided new guidance that explains how we consider such requests.

Pillars for progress

To incentivise further investment and maintain momentum for the rollout, we have today published how we will regulate the wholesale broadband markets from April 2026 to March 2031.

Our decisions include:

• Supporting competition. Openreach’s competitors will continue to have access to its ducts and poles at fair, cost-based prices, meaning they can deploy their own networks quickly and economically across the UK.
• Protecting quality of service In less densely populated parts of the UK, where Openreach is unlikely to face competition, we’re introducing new backstop standards around the speed and quality of repairs and installations for Openreach’s full-fibre services. Elsewhere, we expect competition to drive service quality.
• Acting on affordability. We will cap the nominal price that Openreach can charge retail providers like Vodafone or Sky – who lease its infrastructure – for download speeds up to 80Mbit/s, rather than 40Mbit/s at present. The prices of higher-speed products will remain unregulated, so providers have an incentive to invest in networks that can deliver faster speeds.
• Closing the copper network. As part of transitioning to full-fibre networks and gradually shutting down old telephone exchanges, Openreach should not have to incur unnecessary costs for running two networks at the same time. We will progressively shift regulation away from copper services to full fibre services, giving Openreach flexibility to encourage customers to migrate off its old copper network [2].
• Looking to the future. If sustainable competition is still emerging in 2031, when our next review is due to take place, we expect to regulate in a way that supports it. Should we need to set price controls on Openreach in the future, it would have the opportunity to earn a return above the cost of its investment over time. Alternatively, if effective competition emerges by the time of our next review, there will be no need for Ofcom to regulate beyond access to ducts and poles. Today’s decisions will take effect from 1 April 2026.

Notes to Editors

1. Source: Data from networks published in Ofcom’s Connected Nations Planned Network deployments.
2. Alongside our decisions today, we are consulting on the specific conditions for when price protections on copper-based services should be removed.

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