UK government pledges superfast broadband for new homes

Ed Vaizey

The UK government has unveiled plans to make superfast fibre broadband available to all new home developments.

Announcing the new deal, the government said it has worked with BT’s Openreach network infrastructure arm and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) on an agreement that aims to provide fibre to new homes either for free or as part of a co-funded initiative.

As part of the deal, Openreach is introducing an online planning tool for homebuilders that will tell them if new properties can be connected to fibre for free, or if a contribution is needed from the developer.

From today, the housing industry will also have access to an Openreach ‘rate card’ that details the fixed cost contributions needed by homebuilders in cases where joint funding is needed.

“Broadband connectivity is just one thing that home buyers now expect when buying a new build, so this industry-led push to make superfast, or indeed ultrafast, broadband speeds available by default in new homes represents a very important step in meeting the UK’s digital needs,” said digital economy minister Ed Vaizey.

The government has stated an ambition to build 1 million new homes over the course of the current parliament.