Deal promises ultra-fast fibre broadband for new Lancashire homes

An Openreach engineerAn Openreach engineer
An Openreach engineer

A deal between housing developers across Lancashire and broadband infrastructure firm Openreach will see fibre in 2,500 homes and flats at major new developments.

The business responsible for Britain’s largest phone and broadband network, is answering a call to build fibre-to- the-premises (FTTP) technology capable of ultrafast speeds up to one Gigabit per second for properties in locations including Preston, Lancaster, Leyland, Clitheroe, Ormskirk and Skelmersdale.

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The agreements are part of an Openreach initiative agreed with the UK Government and the Home Builders Federation to connect all new UK housing developments of 30 properties or more with ultrafast fibre broadband.

As well as the schemes in Lancashire, Openreach has made FTTP technology available to more than 2,000 new developments nationwide.

As part of the FTTP roll-out in Lancashire, around 700 homes will be some of the first in the UK to benefit from a new way of installing the optical fibre technology by using the underground ducting already in place for the existing copper network.

Extensive testing and trials elsewhere in the UK have shown that using the existing network allows the technology to be deployed quickly and efficiently, and avoids the need to dig up footpaths and drives.

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Kim Mears, managing director of infrastructure delivery at Openreach, said: “An ultrafast broadband network will be a major boost for these sites by ensuring that people living and working there have quick access to some of the fastest speeds available. It reflects our commitment to ensuring Lancashire has a first-class network, capable of delivering the latest communication services for households, businesses and other organisations.”

Openreach is building a free FTTP network to new developments with 30 or more homes where registered.