More businesses in rural North Wales and Cheshire are in line for full fibre, after the Government expanded two of the biggest building contracts in our region.
The changes, published on 14th October, add almost 15,000 premises to the plans. Along with a fresh build update from Openreach this week, they give the clearest picture yet of when rural full fibre broadband might reach the farms, workshops, holiday lets and village shops that have waited longest.
There is a catch, though. A new cable at the end of your lane does not mean your business is connected. Here is what has changed, what it means for you and what to do while you wait.
What has changed this month
Project Gigabit is the Government's programme to bring very fast broadband to places that network builders would not reach on their own. It is run by Building Digital UK (BDUK), which pays companies to build to hard-to-serve premises with public money.
On 14th October, BDUK published changes to two Openreach contracts that cover our patch.
- Cheshire. The contract has grown by 11,360 premises, backed by an extra £13.6m of public money. It is now worth about £51.1m. When it was signed in February, it was worth £37.5m and aimed to reach 18,460 premises.
- North Wales. This contract also covers parts of Shropshire, Herefordshire and south-west Wales. It has grown by 3,616 premises to 68,856, and its value has risen by almost £8m to about £158.6m.
Both contracts are still at an early stage. By September, Openreach had built to about 7% of the premises in the Wales contract and 5% of those in Cheshire, according to the latest BDUK figures.
Then, on 20th October, Openreach published its first update to its national build plan since March. Its full fibre network now covers about 24 million premises. The company says it remains on track to reach 25 million by the end of the year, with an ambition to reach up to 30 million by 2030.
Why rural full fibre broadband still lags behind
Across the UK, about 91% of premises can now get a gigabit-capable connection, according to figures for the first half of 2026. That sounds like the job is nearly done. It is not, and the gap is mostly rural.
Ofcom expects coverage to reach up to 95% by January 2029. Project Gigabit is aiming for about 99% by 2032. The last few per cent are the hardest and most expensive to reach, because the homes and businesses are spread out and the cables have further to travel.
Wales shows the pattern clearly. In its most recent Connected Nations report, Ofcom found that 78% of Welsh homes could get full fibre. In towns and cities the figure was 83%. In rural areas it was 59%.
The national target is also tight. Independent analysts at thinkbroadband estimated earlier this month that Openreach would need to build to about 120,000 premises a week to hit 25 million by the end of December. Over the previous month, the figure was closer to 57,000 a week. A late push is possible, but it is a reminder that build dates can slip.
Coverage is not the same as connection
This is the part many businesses miss. When full fibre reaches your area, nothing changes on its own. Your existing broadband carries on as before until you order the upgrade.
Ofcom's figures for Wales show how common that is. Only about half of the people who could get full fibre had actually signed up. Some are happy with what they have. Many simply do not know the option exists.
For a business, that is a missed opportunity. A full fibre line does more than load web pages faster. It changes what you can rely on day to day.
- Upload speed. Older lines are often quick to download but slow to send. Full fibre is far better at both, which matters for cloud backups, sending large files and video calls.
- Reliability. Fibre is less affected by distance, damp and ageing copper, which are all common problems on long rural lines.
- Clearer calls. If your phones run over the internet, a strong connection means fewer dropped or crackly calls.
- Room to grow. More staff, more devices, guest Wi-Fi and security cameras can all share the line without grinding to a halt.
Installation is also getting easier. Openreach is testing a scheme called Walk the Route, in which business customers send photos of their premises to help engineers plan the job before they arrive. The trial is due to start around November in London and the Home Counties. Separately, the company is planning a small trial of self-installed equipment for simple swaps. Neither will reach most of our customers straight away, but both point towards quicker and less disruptive installs.
"We speak to a lot of rural businesses who have more or less given up on getting a decent connection. This news is a good reason to look again. The map is changing faster than most people think, so check your postcode, and then keep checking it every few months. If you know fibre is coming next year, line up your contracts now so you can switch the week it's ready, not six months later because nobody noticed."
Tom Harrison, Head of Marketing, Excel Communications
You can read more about what a faster line could do for you on our full fibre business broadband page.
What if the cable is not coming soon?
Being in a Project Gigabit area is good news, but it is not a promise with a date attached. Contract plans change over time. Build costs rise and fall. Other network builders expand or pull back. Premises can be added to a contract and, occasionally, removed from one.
So if your business is in a rural spot, it is worth having a plan for the meantime.
Get the best from your current line. Many businesses are paying for an old package on an old contract. A quick review can often find a faster or better value option on the same connection, sometimes on a shorter term so you are free to move when fibre arrives.
Look at satellite. Low Earth orbit satellite services have changed the picture for remote sites. Ofcom counted more than 7,500 satellite broadband customers in Wales alone in its last report. Starlink for business can deliver strong speeds almost anywhere with a clear view of the sky, and can be set up in days rather than months.
Add a mobile backup. A 4G or 5G connection can keep card machines, emails and calls running if your main line fails. It is a sensible safety net even after fibre arrives. Our business mobile team can advise on coverage where you are.
Avoid long lock-ins. If fibre could reach you within a year or two, think twice before signing a long contract on a slower service.
The jargon, in plain English
- Full fibre (FTTP). Fibre to the premises. A fibre optic cable runs all the way into your building, rather than stopping at a green cabinet in the street and finishing the journey on copper.
- Gigabit-capable. A connection that can reach 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). That is roughly 10 times faster than many standard business lines.
- Project Gigabit. The Government programme paying to bring these connections to areas that would otherwise miss out.
- BDUK. Building Digital UK, the Government body that runs Project Gigabit and signs the building contracts.
- Ready for service. The point at which full fibre can be ordered at your address. Until then, it may be "planned" or "in build".
- ONT. Optical network terminal. The small white box an engineer fits inside your building where the fibre comes in. Your router plugs into it.
- Wayleave. Permission from a landowner to run cables across their property. It can hold up installs at rented or shared premises.
- Upload speed. How fast you can send information out, for example when backing up files or appearing on a video call.
Five things to do this month
- Check your address. Use a postcode checker to see whether full fibre is available, planned or not yet scheduled. Set a reminder to check again in three months.
- Find your contract end date. Knowing when you are free to move means you can switch as soon as fibre is ready, without paying to leave early.
- List what relies on your connection. Phones, card machines, booking systems, cameras, alarms and guest Wi-Fi all count. This tells you what speed and backup you really need.
- Talk to your landlord. If you rent, ask now about permission for engineers to access the building and run a cable. It is the most common cause of delays.
- Plan a stopgap. If fibre is a year or more away, look at satellite or mobile options so your business is not held back in the meantime.
Rural businesses in sectors such as hospitality and manufacturing often have the most to gain, because so much of their day now depends on a connection that simply works.
How we can help
We work with businesses across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the wider North West, from town centre offices to farms at the end of a single-track road. We can check what is available at your address, explain the options in plain English and plan the move so it happens with as little fuss as possible.
That includes business broadband on whatever connection suits your site today, satellite where the cables do not yet reach, and VoIP phone systems that get the most out of a faster line once it arrives.
Call us on 0800 711 7111 or get in touch online, and we will tell you where you stand.
