Openreach bringing Full Fibre broadband to Portsmouth

The once-in-a-generation, Full Fibre broadband upgrades will let thousands of local people connect multiple devices at gigabit-capable speeds and help businesses trade online and compete for decades to come.

Engineers have started work in the city and the build is expected to reach the majority of local homes and businesses in the next couple of years.

Full Fibre broadband provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity; with fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands.

Residents can enjoy a host of online services and entertainment, with seamless streaming and smooth online gaming. The technology also supports day-to-day, business critical tasks like video calls, banking and online customer interactions.

Local people can visit openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre to register for updates and, as the build progresses, check their addresses to see when services are available from their chosen provider.

Martin Williams, Openreach Partnership Director, said: “We’re bringing ultrafast broadband to Portsmouth and letting local people know what to expect.

“This is a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams, equipment and vans around town, and we're working hard to keep disruption to a minimum.

“Wherever possible, we’ll use our existing network of ducts and poles to avoid roadworks, new street furniture and disturbance. But there may be places where we need to install new poles, underground ducts and fibre cables because it’s the only way to make sure households get included in the upgrade.”

He added: “Portsmouth is part of our balanced build across the south east. We want to make sure that progress is evenly spread and that people in all parts of the region can be online effortlessly and build opportunities in their community. Connecting everyone in the south east to our fastest and most reliable broadband would result in a multi-billion pound economic boost.”

Openreach’s new ultrafast Full Fibre network in the south east now reaches more than one million properties, and the company plans to roll out the new technology to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026.

Openreach build partner Morrison Telecom Services is helping to deliver the investment.

John Jauncey, Director at Morrison Telecom Services, said: “We're delighted to be working with Openreach on their full fibre rollout in Portsmouth, bringing much needed improvements to broadband speeds for residents and businesses throughout the city.

“The high level of interest from the community confirms the strong local desire for faster and more reliable connections. We're committed to minimising disruption during the installation process, and we appreciate your patience as we deliver Portsmouth’s new ultrafast Full Fibre network with Openreach.”

You can find out more about the benefits of an upgrade to Full Fibre broadband on the Openreach website.