Openreach new Fibre Checker statuses

Openreach has just updated their fibre checker to provide 1 of 6 statuses based on Postcode searches.

1) We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet
2) We're planning to build in this area
3) We’ll be building in this area in the next year
4) We're building in this area now
5) Available to order soon
6) Available to order now

I've tried it with multiple Postcodes around the country and can confirm that different statuses come up based on them.

For those unawares, all the SDUs in my area are now at No. 6 (Available to order now). The Fibre Aggregator Node is across the street from my MDU. Previously it returned 'Not available yet' when I searched with my postcode, now it returns No. 4 (We're building in this area now) so I'm really hoping they're going to connect our flats to the FAN across the street soon

It may be false hope, but I'd rather see the status 'We're building in this area now' than 'Not yet available'.

The SDU and MDU my road get:
* We’ll be building in this area in the next year

As an MDU occupier, I wonder if Openreach will be able to get wayleave permission that the two Alt Nets that have been here 3 years can't manage. Right now its copper (Openreach) or copper (coax) from Virgin Media are the only wayleaves the landlord has granted.

It looks like this change is rolling out gradually: my property has been showing as “build planned between now and dec-2026”, but today its now showing “not yet available”, which doesn’t seem to match any of the 6 statuses that are explained by the checker results.

I really hope we’ve not been taken out of plan and its just a temporary hiccup in the database results being updated…..

EDIT: Suspect its just the database updating. Some properties which I absolutely know to have Openreach FTTP are reporting “not yet available”, despite showing “available now” prior to today.

Edit1: ignore the above: if you are getting “not yet available”, try clearing your cookies/cache. I went to a different device [was using ipad] and it correctly brought in the result of “building in the next year”

Edited by some_edin_guy (Sun 20-Jul-25 21:48:52)

In reply to a post by some_edin_guy:

It looks like this change is rolling out gradually: my property has been showing as “build planned between now and dec-2026”, but today its now showing “not yet available”, which doesn’t seem to match any of the 6 statuses that are explained by the checker results.

I really hope we’ve not been taken out of plan and its just a temporary hiccup in the database results being updated…..

EDIT: Suspect its just the database updating. Some properties which I absolutely know to have Openreach FTTP are reporting “not yet available”, despite showing “available now” prior to today.

Edit1: ignore the above: if you are getting “not yet available”, try clearing your cookies/cache. I went to a different device [was using ipad] and it correctly brought in the result of “building in the next year”

Ahh yes try a different browser and private mode.

Although mine says 'We're building in this area now' I don't see them on the streets. Hoping the status is correct.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

The SDU and MDU my road get:
* We’ll be building in this area in the next year

As an MDU occupier, I wonder if Openreach will be able to get wayleave permission that the two Alt Nets that have been here 3 years can't manage. Right now its copper (Openreach) or copper (coax) from Virgin Media are the only wayleaves the landlord has granted.

Sorry to hear that. Ours is the opposite, i.e. landlord has been wanting to provide wayleave but Openreach didn't want it as they didn't have plans to deploy yet at the time. I'm not sure about now.

If you haven't already, make sure your landlord is aware of a few facts:

1) Openreach deploys to the MDU for free and don't require any subscribers in it
2) The passive splitter box they install in the communal area is passive, doesn't consume electricity
3) Openreach is the priority when landlords decide which network to permit because they have over 650+ ISPs connected to their network so tenants have more options than with any other network

Find out why they're reluctant etc.

Good tips thanks.

Id like a bit more accuracy in the results, postcodes in my village are "We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet"
However they are currently rolling out fibre, theyve done lots of running fibre, installing the kit in the pavement chambers, and doing overhead works where its poles not ducts.
Spoke to them (openreach) and they are doing most the village, yet the checkers show nothing!
Weird.

Ohh that's weird indeed.

I've noticed the map has gone weird since the recent update as well.
Every exchange area near me which was previously in "We'll be building soon" status has now gone to "Most homes can now order" - which is definitely not the case!

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

Ohh that's weird indeed.

Its long been the case that whats happening on the ground isn't necessarily reflected in the Fibre Checker.

In reply to a post by jguk1:

I've noticed the map has gone weird since the recent update as well.
Every exchange area near me which was previously in "We'll be building soon" status has now gone to "Most homes can now order" - which is definitely not the case!

Hi, which map is this? Have you got a URL to it please? Thanks.

The map at the bottom of this page:
https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/where-when...

In reply to a post by jguk1:

The map at the bottom of this page:
https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/where-when...

Ohh this one. Thanks.

Yeah that map appears to have been updated with bad data. I think they may have intended to change its status to “Great news! We’re building in this area now”, but accidentally labelled it as “most homes can order full fibre.”

I’ve seen this on a few rural Scottish exchanges which have little to no full fibre coverage in them [based on the thinkbroadband labs coverage map], but are being labelled as “most people can order it”.

Yea I think you're right. It seems to be areas that should have moved from "building soon" to "building now"

I wouldn't trust the Openreach Fiber Checker. Use BTw checker instead.

In reply to a post by adslmax:

I wouldn't trust the Openreach Fiber Checker. Use BTw checker instead.

BTW Checker doesn't say when FTTP will be deployed

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

BTW Checker doesn't say when FTTP will be deployed

BTw will tell if FTTP is available (not the FTTPoD) if that change happen then placed an order for FTTP.

In reply to a post by adslmax:

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

BTW Checker doesn't say when FTTP will be deployed

BTw will tell if FTTP is available (not the FTTPoD) if that change happen then placed an order for FTTP.

I know, but it doesn't say when I will get FTTP. Openreach's search does.

The map is definitely broken. My exchange area now says "Most homes and businesses in this area can order Ultrafast Full Fibre", which is not true. Postcode-level checks say "We’ll be building in this area in the next year"

In reply to a post by candlerb:

The map is definitely broken. My exchange area now says "Most homes and businesses in this area can order Ultrafast Full Fibre", which is not true. Postcode-level checks say "We’ll be building in this area in the next year"

Is yours an MDU or SDU?

Received an Email today with the same info, "We're building in this area now" with the same details. Hoping the Email was triggered because they're actually doing something.

Updated:

Openreach Fibre Checker say:

Our product statuses explained

Our Full Fibre build plans are complex, challenging and constantly changing, please choose the status that applies to your property below and we’ll explain in a little more detail your current build status.

1) We have no plans to build Full Fibre to this property yet
This means that right now, your property can’t access Full Fibre on our network and is in an area where we currently don't have any major plans to build. This could change in the future as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.

2) We're planning to build in this area
This means that while we're planning on building to your area in the future, our plans to build to this property aren't confirmed yet. But they could be soon as we're aiming to build Full Fibre to 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026 and we're not stopping there.

3) We’ll be building in this area in the next year
This means we’ll be bringing Full Fibre to your area in the next year, so you’ll soon see our vans and engineers working to upgrade the broadband network. And whilst our plans for this specific property aren’t confirmed yet, they could be soon as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.

4) We're building in this area now
This means we’re already working to upgrade our broadband network to Full Fibre in your area and you may have seen our vans as our engineers work to upgrade our network.
And whilst our plans for this specific property aren’t confirmed yet, they could be soon as we’re aiming to reach 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and we’re continuing to build beyond that.

5) Available to order soon
This means our engineers are upgrading the broadband network to this property and Full Fibre will be available to order soon unless our engineers encounter any unexpected problems.
If you sign up we’ll tell you when it’s ready to order - so you can upgrade to the UK’s most reliable broadband technology.

6) Available to order now
This means that Full Fibre is available for you to order now.
Select ‘See providers’ to explore all the broadband providers offering Full Fibre.
And with the biggest choice of broadband providers in the UK, you’re sure to find a connection, package and price that works for you.

Edited by adslmax (Tue 22-Jul-25 11:58:30)

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

In reply to a post by candlerb:

The map is definitely broken. My exchange area now says "Most homes and businesses in this area can order Ultrafast Full Fibre", which is not true. Postcode-level checks say "We’ll be building in this area in the next year"

Is yours an MDU or SDU?

SDU, but it's not relevant.

I have FTTP, but that was from FTTPoD installed in 2018-2019. Neighbouring SDU properties say "We'll be building in this area in the next year", which is believable, since the exchange was added to announced rollout plans last year.

However, the map summary saying "Most homes and businesses in this [exchange] area can order Ultrafast Full Fibre" is definitely untrue.

Openreach full fibre is a post code address lottery cherry picked! Some win, some lose!