You searched "when is fibre coming to my street" and got three different answers. Openreach says "planned". Your council says "next phase". Your neighbour got a letter last week about spring. Someone on a local Facebook group says their street was done in October. None of these are necessarily wrong. They're just looking at different data.
Openreach's rollout is real and it's moving fast, but tracking exactly when your specific address will be upgraded requires knowing where to look and what the different status terms actually mean.
Where the Openreach FTTP rollout stands in 2026
Openreach passed 16 million UK premises with full fibre broadband by early 2026. They're on course for their target of 25 million by end of 2026, though that target has slipped before and could slip again. The 25 million figure would represent roughly 85% of UK premises.
The rollout accelerated hard between 2023 and 2025. At peak, Openreach was passing 60,000 to 70,000 new premises per week. That pace has slowed. The easy builds, dense suburbs and city centres, are largely done. What's left is harder and more expensive to reach.
Openreach publishes build activity data quarterly. Their Where and When tool lets you enter an address and see whether FTTP is live, under construction, or planned at that location. This is the most reliable source for your specific address.
What the different status terms mean
Openreach uses several status labels, and they don't all mean the same thing.
Live (or "Available"): Full fibre is installed and live at your address. You can order it right now through any provider on the Openreach network. Check our provider lookup to see who offers FTTP at your postcode.
Build (or "In build"): Active construction is underway in your area. Typically means full fibre will be available at your address within three to six months. Engineers will have started digging, ducting, and installing cabinets.
Planned: Openreach has committed to building in your area but construction hasn't started. Timeline varies. Some "planned" areas are three months away. Others are two or three years away. "Planned" does not come with a date guarantee.
Not planned: Openreach has not committed to building at your address under their commercial programme. This usually applies to rural and hard-to-reach locations. It doesn't mean you'll never get it. Project Gigabit subsidies may fund a build that Openreach won't do commercially.
How Openreach decides which areas to build first
Openreach prioritises areas based on commercial viability. High population density, areas where a significant proportion of homes will take up the service, and areas with existing infrastructure they can build on all rank higher. Urban and suburban areas came first. Semi-rural market towns are in the middle. Remote rural villages are last.
Competition matters too. When a rival altnet announces plans for an area, Openreach sometimes accelerates their own build to get there first. This is called "overbuild" and it's genuinely controversial. Two competing full fibre networks on the same street, while the village down the road has nothing. Good for those residents. Frustrating for everyone else.
Regulatory and planning factors affect timing too. Wayleave agreements (permission to run cables across private land), street works permits, and council approvals all add time. Some Openreach builds run months late due to wayleave holdups on specific streets.
CityFibre and altnet alternatives
CityFibre is Openreach's main independent rival. They are building full fibre in around 285 towns and cities across the UK, mostly areas where they do not have to compete with Openreach's existing network. In CityFibre areas, you can get FTTP through providers like Vodafone, Zen, and several regional ISPs.
Smaller altnets serve specific regions. Gigaclear focuses on rural areas. Hyperoptic builds in apartment blocks and urban areas. KCOM serves Hull. Many regional providers have appeared over the last five years, often funded by investment or Project Gigabit subsidies, building in areas that Openreach and CityFibre have not prioritised.
To find out which networks are available at your specific postcode, use our postcode lookup. Enter your postcode and the results will show which providers offer full fibre at your address, along with speeds and coverage data from Ofcom.
Project Gigabit for rural areas
Project Gigabit is the UK government's programme to subsidise gigabit broadband in areas where commercial rollout will not happen on its own. Around £5 billion has been allocated. Contracts have been awarded in phases across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
If your area is in a Project Gigabit contract, a subsidised build is coming. The timeline depends on the contractor and the scale of the build, but it is funded and committed.
Check the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy Checker to see whether your address falls within a funded area. Our rural broadband guide has more detail on the options available if you are in a hard-to-reach area.