More than 55,000 homes and businesses across Oxfordshire can now order some of the fastest, most reliable broadband in Europe thanks to Openreach, the UK’s digital network provider.
Many people living and working in Banbury and Thame can already benefit from the new technology, and in the next 18 months, thousands more are set to follow in locations such as Abingdon, Bicester, Wantage and Witney, as Openreach engineers continue to build the new network across the country. A new and improved map of Openreach’s announced exchanges is available on its website and consumers can see what infrastructure is available at their address using Openreach’s fibre checker.
So far, Openreach has spent around £16.5 millioncommercially and in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council’s Digital Infrastructure Oxfordshire programme.
The new ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre network is up to ten times faster than UK broadband connection and around five times more reliable than the old, copper-based network that it’s replacing. But tens of thousands of residents and businesses have yet to upgrade and are not taking advantage of the benefits of the new technology.
Kasam Hussain, Openreach’s partnership director for the South of England said, “Research shows that this new network will give businesses an edge and give families and home-workers future-proofed connectivity, no matter what life throws at us next.
“Following our earlier work in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, our commercial investment across Oxfordshire continues at pace, and we’re determined to deliver a great service which helps communities to thrive and supports people to work from home easily, keep in touch with their loved ones and build connections and opportunities.
Cllr Glynis Phillips, cabinet member for corporate services at Oxfordshire County Council said, “The value of Full Fibre broadband connections to businesses and homes in Oxfordshire cannot be overstated and I very much welcome the attainment of this milestone. The dynamic business economy of Oxfordshire and its leading position in driving innovation, research and development means it needs quick and reliable connections to ensure we can continue to compete on the world stage. I am delighted that the council’s Digital Infrastructure programme has been able to work collaboratively with Openreach which has helped thousands of local people and businesses benefit from gigabit-capable broadband speeds and helps people to stay connected.”
Kasam added, “Gigabit-capable broadband can have a huge impact on people’s lives and it’s great for the economy but upgrades aren’t automatic. People need to place an order with their chosen provider to get connected and we’ll do the rest. Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, BT and Zen – which means that competition is high with great deals on offer.
“Even if you already have a decent enough service, it’s worth checking the fibre checker on our website to see if you can upgrade because Full Fibre is the technology of the future and provides the best broadband experience at great value for money. There’ll be no more worrying that your video call will freeze, or your files will fail to upload when everyone’s at home competing for bandwidth.”
Openreach has announced plans to invest in Full Fibre for the majority of premises in 31 exchange areas across Oxfordshire as part of the Company’s plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026. This short video explains what Full Fibre technology is; you can find out more about Openreach’s Fibre First build programme here.
