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[gt94sss2]

BT is preparing to accelerate its investment which will bring superfast full-fibre broadband to millions more homes as concerns ease over the company’s pensions black hole.

The telecoms operator is about to publish more ambitious targets for its broadband rollout which will include enhanced coverage in the most remote parts of the country.

BT had previously pledged to lay full-fibre cables to 20m homes and businesses by the mid-to-late 2020s, but chief executive Philip Jansen is now poised to go further and faster.

The move is expected to be announced on Thursday when BT publishes full-year results alongside the outcome of its triennial pension review.

Analysts are expecting Mr Jansen to be handed greater financial flexibility, with the pension deficit coming in £2.2bn lower than expected at £7.5bn. As a result BT will be under less pressure to channel profits to plugging this gap, and more able to invest.

Under BT’s current plans, around 20pc of the nation – Britain’s most sparsely populated regions – has been deemed unviable for commercially funded full-fibre upgrades.

Ministers had planned to spend £5bn on subsidies by 2025 to ensure infrastructure builders still upgrade broadband in those rural areas.

With pension pressure subsiding and the Government’s super deduction policy allowing BT to cut its tax bill if it invests, Mr Jansen has a brighter financial backdrop in which to spend BT’s own cash.

BT is now in line to reduce the financial burden on the Government by investing more money in rural areas.

Taken from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/05/08/bt-increasestarget-boostto-broadband/

Thursday should hopefully be interesting.

[kitz]

Hopefully good news

[Alex Atkin UK]

Hmmmm

the Government’s super deduction policy allowing BT to cut its tax bill if it invests

BT is now in line to reduce the financial burden on the Government by investing more money in rural areas.

Not saying its a bad thing, but that's rather misleading as ultimately the government are paying.

[GigabitEthernet]

This sounds very encouraging, I was wondering when the build plans might be updated.

Let's hope for some good news in Hampshire!

[stevebrass]

Hmmmm
Not saying its a bad thing, but that's rather misleading as ultimately the government are paying.

You mean because the "super deduction" reduces Corporation Tax Liability? So yes the Government tax take goes down.

[Bowdon]

This is good news.

Hopefully they will be able to increase the pace, especially with that new machine they have been trialing, the Clean Fast.

[burakkucat]

. . . especially with that new machine they have been trialing, the Clean Fast.

Huh?    Could you expand on that, please? Perhaps a link . . .

[gt94sss2]

Could you expand on that, please? Perhaps a link . . .

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/05/openreach-speeds-up-fttp-broadband-rollout-with-new-machine.html

https://www.openreach.com/news/mp-visits-broadband-build-as-speeds-set-to-bounce-near-historic-derbyshire-dam/

[GigabitEthernet]

Where is the FTTP for London? Openreach has announced nothing.

[j0hn]

Where is the FTTP for London? Openreach has announced nothing.

You need to be a bit more specific.

"London" has loads of OpenReach FTTP, and about 10 other networks operators on top of that.

https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map#9/51.3623/-0.0998/geafttp/

[GigabitEthernet]

You need to be a bit more specific.

"London" has loads of OpenReach FTTP, and about 10 other networks operators on top of that.

https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map#9/51.3623/-0.0998/geafttp/

South West London has absolutely sod all from Openreach.

Clapham, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea. Where is the plan?

[burakkucat]

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/05/openreach-speeds-up-fttp-broadband-rollout-with-new-machine.html

https://www.openreach.com/news/mp-visits-broadband-build-as-speeds-set-to-bounce-near-historic-derbyshire-dam/

Thank you. Now I know. 

[niemand]

South West London has absolutely sod all from Openreach.

Clapham, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea. Where is the plan?

Putney constituency: 44.27% full fibre, 67.9% gigabit according to Think Broadband.
London Borough of Wandsworth, containing bits of Clapham and all of Battersea: 44.69% full fibre, 74.62% gigabit.
LBo Lambeth, where the rest of Clapham not in Wandsworth is, 14.26% full fibre, 58.86% gigabit.

My own urban constituency 14.12% gigabit, surrounded by areas with higher FTTP and a bunch of CityFibre overbuild.

None of us are entitled to Openreach FTTP or a plan to build it, wherever we are.

Bits of London, especially the centre, are actually very expensive to build in due to all the flagged footways, congested footways forcing work on carriageways, non-existent footways requiring carriageway work, apartment blocks requiring digging, wayleave and retrofit, private roads requiring wayleave and potentially full width reinstatement, lane rental scheme, old ductwork forcing a lot of duct unblocking, overloaded poles due to conversion of SDUs to MDUs, etc, etc.

It's cheaper for Openreach to build than others but alongside that come far lower revenues than others.

[GigabitEthernet]

Putney constituency: 44.27% full fibre, 67.9% gigabit according to Think Broadband.
London Borough of Wandsworth, containing bits of Clapham and all of Battersea: 44.69% full fibre, 74.62% gigabit.
LBo Lambeth, where the rest of Clapham not in Wandsworth is, 14.26% full fibre, 58.86% gigabit.

My own urban constituency 14.12% gigabit, surrounded by areas with higher FTTP and a bunch of CityFibre overbuild.

None of us are entitled to Openreach FTTP or a plan to build it, wherever we are.

Bits of London, especially the centre, are actually very expensive to build in due to all the flagged footways, congested footways forcing work on carriageways, non-existent footways requiring carriageway work, apartment blocks requiring digging, wayleave and retrofit, private roads requiring wayleave and potentially full width reinstatement, lane rental scheme, old ductwork forcing a lot of duct unblocking, overloaded poles due to conversion of SDUs to MDUs, etc, etc.

It's cheaper for Openreach to build than others but alongside that come far lower revenues than others.

Will be because of Virgin Media, sadly in a lot of parts of Wandsworth there is Openreach only. They best get a hurry on, I hope Wandsworth will be next, I note on the "build plan" spreadsheet under fibre first areas they have three exchanges under Wandsworth but only Balham currently in progress. I hope that means Wandsworth and Putney are "in plan" for this year or next.

If they're looking for quick returns, London is best because of population density.

[niemand]

South West London has absolutely sod all from Openreach.

Clapham, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea. Where is the plan?

They best get a hurry on, I hope Wandsworth will be next, I note on the "build plan" spreadsheet under fibre first areas they have three exchanges under Wandsworth but only Balham currently in progress. I hope that means Wandsworth and Putney are "in plan" for this year or next.