Openreach expands XGS-PON rollout to boost UK full fiber speeds to 8.5Gbps

Openreach, the digital network arm of BT Group, has announced plans to extend the deployment of XGS-PON technology across its full fiber infrastructure, a move that will significantly increase broadband speeds and network capacity for UK households and businesses. The announcement comes as the company approaches its target of connecting 25 million premises to full fiber by the end of this year.

The upgrade will raise maximum download speeds from the current 1.8 Gbps to 8.5 Gbps on full fiber connections, a jump that Openreach says is roughly 28 times faster than the average download speed experienced by a typical UK household today. XGS-PON, a next-generation passive optical network standard capable of delivering shared internet access rates of up to 10 Gbps, is central to this strategy.

Over the next 12 months, Openreach plans to make these enhanced speeds available to more than one million premises. This builds on an ongoing XGS-PON pilot launched in March this year, which has already connected 40,000 residential premises in Guildford and surrounding areas. Looking further ahead, the company aims to cover around a third of its full fiber network with the new technology within five years, through a combination of further network build, targeted upgrades, and equipment modernization.

The company's full fiber network, largely built using GPON technology, has so far reached 23.4 million premises. More than 9.4 million customers have already upgraded to gigabit-capable services, but growing demand for data-intensive applications is driving the need for more advanced infrastructure. XGS-PON offers a path to deliver higher speeds over the existing network footprint without requiring a complete rebuild.

Trevor Linney, director of network technology at Openreach, emphasized the strategic importance of the investment. "Our full fiber network already offers Gigabit-capable broadband to more than 23.4 million premises, and more than 9.4 million customers have upgraded so far. As demand for data continues to grow, our investment in XGS-PON technology will enable us to offer even higher speeds over the same network, and the additional capacity needed to support the UK's digital future," he said. "By continuing to invest in upgrades, we're delivering a platform that will power the next generation of technology, from AI-enabled services, smart homes and future mobile networks, to cloud-based business and public services."

The expansion reflects a broader industry trend toward future-proofing network infrastructure as data consumption rises across consumer and enterprise segments. For Openreach, the move also positions its network to support emerging technologies such as AI-driven services and advanced cloud platforms, which require both high bandwidth and low latency. The phased rollout will allow the company to balance immediate capacity gains with long-term scalability, ensuring the network remains competitive as digital demands evolve.