The government published its latest rollout figures last week, and they tell a mixed story. Nationally, fibre is nearly everywhere. Out in the villages and on the industrial parks, it very much is not. If you run a rural site and you are waiting for full fibre broadband in North Wales or the North West, here is where things actually stand.
What the new figures say about full fibre broadband in North Wales
Around 90 per cent of UK premises can already get a gigabit connection. The remaining 10 per cent are the expensive ones, so the government funds those separately through a £5 billion programme aimed squarely at rural areas.
That programme has now reached roughly 296,770 of the 846,770 premises it has contracted, or about 35 per cent, according to the August update. Just over 9,000 premises were connected in a month. Steady, then, but not fast.
Why the last stretch takes the longest
Rural builds are slow for unglamorous reasons. Cable has to cross private land. Poles need replacing. Ground gets dug up and put back. Meanwhile the target for national coverage is 2032, which is a long time to wait if your accounts run in the cloud.
Progress can even go backwards on paper. Several areas including Lancashire had premises taken off the count this month while the numbers were rechecked, and those are expected to reappear later. In other words, treat any published date as a best guess rather than a promise.
The jargon, in plain English
- Gigabit. A connection capable of roughly 1,000 megabits per second. For most businesses that is far more than they will ever use.
- Premises passed. The cable has reached your street. It does not mean you are connected, and you still have to order the service.
- Full fibre, or FTTP. Glass cable running all the way into your building, rather than stopping at a green box down the road.
- Upload speed. How fast you send things out. Older connections are slow at this, which is why video calls freeze and backups drag on.
What rural businesses should do while they wait
First, check whether fibre has quietly arrived. Plenty of firms are still on an old connection with a modern one available at the kerb, simply because nobody told them.
If it genuinely has not reached you, waiting is not the only option. A modern digital service can still run over existing cabling, and satellite has become a serious answer for remote sites. Either way, you cannot stay where you are, because the old network closes in January.
"Half the rural sites we visit could have had fibre months ago and nobody had checked. The other half won't see it for years, and they need a proper answer now rather than a place in a queue. Both are fixable, but only if you find out which one you are."
Rob Mason, Technical Director, Excel Communications
Schools and colleges on rural sites feel this more than most, given how much teaching now depends on a connection that holds up all day. Our education solutions page covers that in more detail.
We will check what is available at your postcode and tell you honestly whether it is worth waiting. Take a look at our full fibre and satellite options or call us on 0800 711 7111.
