Openreach’s fibre rollout could pump £66 billion into UK economy

Openreach itself commissioned the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and Stantec to produce a joint report into the wider effects of its full fibre network, and thankfully for its PR department what came back was flattering.

It used data from the existing and planned roll outs, and estimated the spatial, employment and social impacts of full fibre on the next 5 and 10 years.

“This updated research from the Cebr confirms overwhelmingly positive impacts on productivity and workforce, supporting the government’s growth mission. Taken together, the productivity and workforce boosts to Gross Value Added (GVA) will total £66 billion per year by 2029 and £73 billion per year by 2034,” reads the report.

As well as the general potential boost to the economy, the report claims as a result of Openreach’s full fibre rollout 620,000 people, such as parents and older workers, could return to work, there could be five million online healthcare appointments by 2029, and it predicts a boost to pass rates for 21,700 students.

It also says homes with full fibre see an average increase of £1,900, and that by 2029 1.4 million more home workers will mean fewer car journeys and lower carbon emissions.

Openreach says its full fibre network is currently available to over 16 million homes and businesses across the UK, that it aims to reach 25 million by 2026, and 30 million by the end of the decade, “assuming conditions for investment remain supportive.”

“Our new Full Fibre network is a growth and prosperity engine. This report highlights how it will create jobs, enhance connectivity, and drive economic improvements across each nation of the UK, but continued investment depends on a stable policy and regulatory environment,” said Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach.

Openreach says its full fibre network is currently available to over 16 million homes and businesses across the UK, that it aims to reach 25 million by 2026, and 30 million by the end of the decade, “assuming conditions for investment remain supportive.”

Of course this is all presented to us primarily for boasting purposes, but the UK economy could certainly do with a boost. It would be more useful to draw in the entire fibre market not just what Openreach is up to when totting up the potential benefits, but then it’s not the job of any PR department to blow another firm’s trumpet for them.