Network access provider Openreach (BT) has made progress on their deal with social housing provider Wolverhampton Homes in the West Midlands (England), which will enable them to extend their 1.8Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network to cover thousands of flats and apartments across the city.
A total of more than 4,500 flats and apartments across the city are expected to benefit from the master wayleave agreement in Wolverhampton, which was originally signed all the way back in October 2022. The upgrade is thus already underway and improving internet speeds and reliability for thousands of residents in the Aldersley, Bilston, Central Wolverhampton, Wednesfield, Tettenhall and Woodcross areas.
So far Openreach have completed the full fibre build to 1,000 homes across 89 different buildings, which leaves 3,500 more premises, across a further 135 buildings in Wolverhampton, left to be upgraded in the near future. The tenants will join more than 55,000 other premises across Wolverhampton who already have access to full fibre broadband via the same network.
The operator’s new FTTP network has so far covered over 15 million UK premises (there are a total of c. 32.5m across the country) and they aim to reach 25 million by December 2026, while also holding an ambition to cover “up to” 30 million by 2030.
Kasam Hussain, Regional Director at Openreach, said:
“We’re thrilled to be working with Wolverhampton Homes on this significant broadband upgrade. Working together is a crucial step in making sure that residents across the city have access to some of the best broadband available anywhere in the UK. The support from both the council and Wolverhampton Homes has been instrumental in making this happen.
Ian Gardner, Director of Property Services at WH, said:
“Partnering with Openreach is a tremendous opportunity for our residents. Improved broadband access is essential for modern living, whether it’s for work, education, or entertainment. This initiative demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for people in our community.”
Wolverhampton Homes is the City of Wolverhampton Council’s arm’s length management organisation that is responsible for managing the majority of council-owned homes across the city. But it’s important to remember that this isn’t an automatic upgrade for consumers and, once live, they’ll need to pick a package from a supporting ISP (e.g. BT, EE, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Vodafone, AAISP, iDNET etc.).