The UK added 4.7 million homes to its full fibre broadband footprint in the year to September 2023, the fastest expansion among European countries.
The FTTH Council Europe’s latest market report shows this growth raised the UK’s total fibre homes passed to 17.1 million, placing the country third in Europe behind France (26.3 million) and Turkey (18 million).
Given the UK’s population and the need to accelerate fibre deployment, its leading position for new rollouts is understandable.
However, despite the rapid build rate, the UK still needs to close gaps in coverage and adoption. With a take-up rate of 30 percent, the UK ranks 32nd out of 39 European markets analysed, well below the European average of nearly 50 percent.
As of September 2023, only 57 percent of UK households had access to full fibre broadband, compared with an average of 70 percent across the 39 countries covered in the report. Several nations — including Romania, Portugal and Sweden — already exceed 90 percent fibre coverage.
#UK, fastest-growing European market, is now dealing with market saturation, regulations, and technology constraints, threatening the high pace of FTTH rollout. Are we in front of a crisis? Let’s hear from @WeAreOpenreach @CityFibre @Macquarie @Ofcom #FTTH24 pic.twitter.com/3PDbwh23Iq
— FTTH Council Europe (@FTTHCouncilEU) March 21, 2024
The FTTH Council estimates 12.9 million UK homes still need fibre buildouts, the second-highest figure in Europe after Germany’s 24.4 million. Analysts say the UK’s slower start — partly because the incumbent operator BT was late to prioritise full fibre until alternative networks applied pressure — contributed to this coverage shortfall.
Still, the outlook is positive as deployment accelerates. The FTTH Council projects the UK will reach 29.6 million fibre homes passed by 2029, ranking it behind only Germany and France in broader European terms.
“By September 2023, the EU39 FTTH/B take-up rate rose to 49.6 percent (up by 1.1 percentage points from the previous year). This highlights that, despite progress, a substantial gap remains between fibre coverage and actual adoption,” the FTTH Council Europe commented.
“Progress is visible in the EU27+UK area, where the take-up rate increased by 1.3 percentage points compared to 2022, reaching 52.7 percent in 2023.”
With the recently published White Paper, @EU_Commission indicated its goal that by 2030, 100% of our citizens, and companies should be connected by #fibre. The Commission will now work on creating the legal conditions that make 2030 the ultimate date to use copper networks #FTTH24 pic.twitter.com/R6aDwvpFtR
— FTTH Council Europe (@FTTHCouncilEU) March 20, 2024
(Photo by Christian Lue)
See also: UK Government urges more telecoms infrastructure sharing
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