Openreach tests 25 million-premise FTTP install process
Openreach has begun inviting broadband ISPs to test a new openreach standard install process for Fibre-to-the-Premises lines. The proof-of-concept would extend the usual home installation beyond the optical fibre cable and internal Optical Network Terminal to cover a CP-provided set-top box and or Wi-Fi extender.
The trial matters for customers because most FTTP home installs already fall under the Standard Install process, which currently brings fibre into the property and connects it to an ONT on the wall. Openreach charges £127.26 ex. VAT for that wholesale Standard install.
Openreach FTTP rollout plan
Openreach is investing up to £15bn to deploy its multi-gigabit speed capable full fibre broadband technology. The company aims to cover 25 million UK premises by the end of December 2026 and is currently passing over 23 million premises.
It also has a further ambition to reach up to 30 million premises by 2030. The build plan for the 2027 to 2030 period and Openreach's final coverage target for that period have yet to be confirmed.
Standard Install and extra options
The new test would slightly extend the Standard process scope so engineers could also connect equipment increasingly shipped by ISPs as part of bundled service packages. That includes TV boxes and Wi-Fi mesh or extender systems, rather than leaving those devices outside the standard fibre handover.
Openreach already offers Premium Install and Advanced Install at extra cost, and those options usually include some extra work and testing. The new trial sits between the existing Standard install and those higher-cost services.
What ISPs are testing
Openreach has started inviting broadband ISPs into the test now, so the next step is for providers to decide whether to take part and then see how the broader install scope works in practice. For customers, the immediate change is not a national switch, but a limited test that could reshape what comes in a standard fibre visit if the process proves workable.
For now, the practical detail is simple: the standard fibre install being tested is no longer limited to the wall-mounted ONT. Openreach is checking whether a home visit can also include the extra devices many providers already ship with their broadband packages.
