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The choice between these two broadband providers can be decided on a few factors: coverage, speed, service quality and pricing. Let’s start with coverage.
Openreach, with its expansive infrastructure, provides full fibre broadband to over half of the UK’s homes, a significant increase from previous years. Their network supports a variety of broadband types including FTTP and FTTC. Fibrus, focusing on Northern Ireland, has laid a significant fibre network, reaching around 250,000 homes and growing.
Openreach plans to extend ultrafast full fibre broadband to 25 million homes and businesses by 2026. Their network includes both Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) with speeds up to 1Gbps and Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) with speeds up to 330Mbps. Fibrus, on the other hand, is rapidly expanding its reach in its focused regions.
Fibrus was founded and launched in September 2018 by Conal Henry (the company Chair) and Dominic Kearns (the CEO). It had the backing of Infracapital (M&G Investments) in July 2019, which purchased Fibrus in 2020. Fibrus’ network infrastructure is owned and operated by Infracapital, the infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G Plc. Infracapital acquired a controlling interest in Fibrus and provided funding for its commercial roll-out. This investment is part of Infracapital’s greenfield strategy, aiming to build, deliver, and operate essential greenfield infrastructure across Europe, particularly in the new-build infrastructure sector like fibre broadband.
Fibrus, focusing on full-fibre broadband, operates an independent network that is distinct from other providers that commonly use the Openreach network. Fibrus’ network is based on cutting-edge XGS-PON technology, offering broadband speeds of up to 2Gbps. XGS-PON, or 10G Symmetrical Passive Optical Network, is a higher-capacity version of the standard GPON technology, providing high-speed internet access and increased bandwidth. This technology is notably used in areas like Staveley under the Project Gigabit contract, which aims to provide full-fibre broadband to around 60,000 premises in Cumbria.
Additionally, under Project Stratum, Fibrus has been actively involved in delivering gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach homes and businesses, particularly in Northern Ireland. This project, which is a £197m contract partly financed by the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive, aims to enhance broadband infrastructure in the region significantly. As part of its long-term strategy, Fibrus plans to invest £700 million to expand its full-fibre broadband network to homes and businesses in remote areas of the UK, to reach one million premises.
| Aspect | Openreach | Fibrus |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group | Owned by Infracapital, part of M&G Plc |
| Network Type | FTTP, FTTC, Gfast, ADSL | Full Fibre (FTTP/FTTH) with XGS-PON technology |
| Technology Used | Ultrafast Full Fibre up to 1000Mbps, Gfast up to 330Mbps, Superfast up to 80Mbps, ADSL up to 24Mbps | Full Fibre using XGS-PON up to 2Gbps, Focus on delivering gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach areas |
| Speed Range | Varied speeds for different needs | Consistently high-speed internet, beneficial in rural areas |
| Infrastructure Focus | Diverse infrastructure in urban and rural areas | Focus on underserved rural and semi-rural towns |
| Expansion Plans | 62,000 Full Fibre connections weekly, 25 million homes and businesses by 2026 | Pass one million premises in the next three years, focus on Northern Ireland and parts of England |
| Investment and Growth | Part of BT Group, resources for nationwide coverage | £700 million investment for full-fibre expansion, backed by Infracapital's greenfield strategy |
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