Openreach at 20
January 12, 2026
By Colin Mann
As UK digital infrastructure provider Openreach marked its 20th birthday on January 11th, it noted that the nation’s Internet habits have hit new heights – streaming, working, gaming and living online like never before.
For the first time, Openreach’s Full Fibre network is carrying more data than old-school copper and hybrid fibre technologies, with millions of UK homes making the switch to the reliable broadband technology.
Openreach has shared some numbers it says bear out this ‘Broadband Boom’:
• Broadband usage over Openreach’s national network increased by 4.8 per cent in 2025, smashing through 108,599 Petabytes of data in total – enough to stream more than 10 million hours of HD television – every single day
• Meanwhile December was a record-breaker, with 10,317 Petabytes used up by Brits on devices. This came immediately after the single busiest day of 2025 on November 30th as a significant Fortnite update was released to gamers.
• At the same time Full Fibre usage rose by 40 per cent in 2025, overtaking older fixed broadband technologies in late October. The average Full Fibre customer – and more people are upgrading to Full Fibre every day – now uses 22.1GB a day on average – that’s equivalent to taking part in 40 hours of Zoom or Teams calls.
The latest network numbers reflect just how far the UK’s digital habits have come over two decades with growing demand for fast, reliable connections, says Openreach..
When Openreach was formed in 2006, the UK was moving from dial-up to 8Mbps broadband. Nokia and BlackBerry ruled the mobile device world and DVDs were mainstream. Streaming was in its infancy.
Currently, around 8 million homes and businesses use Openreach Full Fibre, with 21 million premises able to connect – powering everything from remote work and streaming to gaming and smart homes.
Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, commented: “As we celebrate 20 years of Openreach, this is a historic moment for UK broadband. In two decades, we’ve gone from dial-up speeds to building the nation’s digital backbone – and today, Full Fibre is the network of choice for millions. People are upgrading for speed they can rely on, connections that don’t drop out, and the capacity to support everything from remote work to smart homes. This progress is thanks to our engineers – past and present – whose skill, dedication, and problem solving have connected communities in every corner of the UK. Their work has brought the benefits of better broadband to homes and businesses, and this milestone shows how far we’ve come and how ready we are for the future. Whether you’re streaming, gaming, or running a business from home, Full Fibre gives you the performance you need, not just for today but for whatever comes next. My message to everyone is simple: upgrade to Openreach Full Fibre.”
Openreach engineers are connecting around one million premises every three months, aiming for 25 million by the end of 2026 and 30 million by 2030, subject to the right regulatory conditions.