As we move closer to the Big PSTN Switch Off, here is an update on what’s happening in our neck of the woods in terms of the progress being made installing FTTP (the successor to PSTN).
Openreach has announced that full-fibre (FTTP) is now available in over 55,000 homes and businesses in Oxfordshire.
The Openreach FTTP footprint is mainly around Oxford city and towns such as Abingdon, Bicester, Wantage, Witney and Thame, with a good sprinkling in rural locations.
The FTTP footprint, once considering the independent alternative network (alt-nets) set-up, puts Oxfordshire at around 36.6% of premises.
FTTP (Fibre-to-the-premises) is being rolled-out across whole exchange areas on a quarterly notification cycle. When the FTTP coverage reaches 75% of all premises in an exchange area, a stop-sell on FTTC services will apply. The plan is to cover 25 million premises with FTTP by December 2026.
Businesses not yet connected to FTTP do have another option, rather than waiting for FTTP to become available. Our SoGEA Broadband is a great interim solution that still offers some cost savings and future-proofs connectivity in rural and urban areas.