No full fibre in your street? Your options

No single checker covers every network, so use more than one. Our guide on how to check full fibre availability at your address walks through each checker in detail.

The Openreach Fibre Checker

Openreach runs the network many providers sell over (see what Openreach is). Its Fibre Checker is linked to its network records. The wording matters:

For any of the middle four, think twice before a long new contract (see the last section).

Note the word yet. Openreach says plans can change, and that some properties are too difficult or complex to upgrade commercially but may be covered by another of its programmes or through public funding.

Other networks' checkers

Independent full fibre networks, usually called altnets, run their own postcode checkers. Ofcom's checker is a useful cross-check, but Ofcom warns that a service can show as available yet not be orderable (if a landlord's permission is needed, say), and that some networks only sell through resellers listed on their own websites.

The government's gigabit checker

GOV.UK's "Check your gigabit broadband availability" service covers England and Wales only; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different services (see broadband rollout in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Its data comes from the May Open Market Review published in September 2026 (next update February 2027), and the government says it can't guarantee complete accuracy.

In the Open Market Review, Building Digital UK (BDUK, the agency behind Project Gigabit) classes premises as White (no gigabit network now or likely within three years), Grey (one supplier), Black (two or more) or Under Review, as ISPreview explains. BDUK only subsidises building to White premises; see our Project Gigabit explainer.

Openreach gives three broad reasons: it is still building; some places need special engineering; and some areas, particularly remote and rural communities, are prohibitively expensive to reach without public funding.

It plans its build by exchange area (a village, small town or part of a larger town or city), publishes timing detail only for its commercial programme, and says its plans sometimes change. For smaller programmes, such as government partnerships, it says timescales are less certain and may not be shared.

ISPreview's August 2026 coverage table lists Openreach's own claim of 23.5 million premises (July 2026) against thinkbroadband's count of about 22.4 million (April 2026). Openreach says it is on track to reach 25 million by the end of 2026 and intends to keep going to as many as 30 million by the end of the decade if investment conditions remain supportive. So "no plans yet" is not necessarily "never", but nobody can promise you a date.

This is free and commits you to nothing, but guarantees nothing.

With Openreach

If the Fibre Checker shows full fibre isn't ready, choose "Keep me updated". It is also the front door to a Fibre Community Partnership (Option 2): Openreach emails people whose communities are eligible.

With broadband providers

Openreach says registering interest on your provider's website helps providers understand demand and may support future rollout plans, and that many providers will contact you when faster services reach your address.

With altnets

Several independent networks let you register interest if you're out of range. Examples (checked October 2026):

• Trooli: its coverage checker shows whether an address is live, and lets you register interest if not. Its terms say its network uses the government voucher scheme, now closed to new projects (see Option 4), so ask how any future build would be funded. See Trooli broadband deals for what it sells where it is live.
• Gigaclear: residents outside current coverage can register interest (Gigaclear broadband deals).
• Airband (full fibre and fixed wireless, mainly rural): if you're out of range you can register interest, and Airband says it will tell you when it reaches your area.
• Connect Fibre: unserved homes can register interest, and in some areas it takes pre-orders a few months before homes can be connected, with no charge until installation.
• Hyperoptic: mostly wires blocks of flats and new-build developments, building by building, so it matters most if you live in a flat. You can register interest for updates, but Hyperoptic is upfront that registering doesn't guarantee service and it can't give exact dates.

Treat registering as a signal of demand, not a booking.

Bring the neighbours with you

Openreach says community partnerships rely on local backing and suggests talking to neighbours and local businesses. Ask people to register using their own addresses.

To see which networks already reach nearby towns, browse broadband deals by area, then use the comparison on that page with your postcode.

A Fibre Community Partnership (FCP) is Openreach's option for communities that sit outside its own build plans and outside those of other companies and publicly subsidised projects. It uses a plan designed for that community.

How it works, step by step

1. Express interest. Use the Openreach Fibre Checker and select "Keep me updated". If your community is eligible for an FCP, Openreach emails the information needed to get started.
2. Get a cost estimate. For partnerships that involve community money, Openreach estimates the cost and covers some of it. The part the community pays is called "the gap": Openreach says communities are only asked to cover costs above its commercial model. You are not committed when you receive the estimate; you tell Openreach whether you want to go ahead.
3. Form a legal entity. A legal body must sign for the community: an existing residents' association or small company, or a new one such as a Community Interest Company (CIC), which Openreach notes carries a small set-up charge.
4. Sign and pay in two halves. In a community-funded partnership, 50% of the community's costs are paid at contract signing and the rest on completion, which Openreach says is usually around a year after signing.
5. Wait for the build. On the same page Openreach also gives a longer figure: an average build of 12 to 18 months once funding is confirmed and contracts are signed. Ask which applies to your plan.
6. Order from any provider. Once built, residents can order from any provider selling on the Openreach network in the area, so you are not tied to one company.

What will it cost?

There is no standard price; it depends on the work involved, and we have found no reliable typical figure to quote. Get the estimate, which doesn't commit you.

A warning about vouchers

On 9 October 2026, Openreach's FCP page still described voucher-funded routes, but GOV.UK says that scheme closed to new project submissions on 31 August 2026 (see Option 4). Ask Openreach which funding routes it can offer now. The page also notes that people who pledged a voucher but didn't then order a service could be liable for its value, so read any pledge terms.

Questions to put to Openreach before you commit

• Which homes and businesses are included in the plan, and which are not?
• What exactly is "the gap", and what could make it go up or down?
• Which funding routes are open to us now that the national voucher scheme has closed?
• Will any new poles or ducts be needed, and where? (Our guide to new broadband poles explains why poles sometimes appear.)

FTTP on Demand is an Openreach wholesale product that providers order, for places where standard full fibre isn't yet orderable. When a provider orders it, Openreach surveys, plans and builds fibre to that one property. Its product page for providers, dated January 2026, says the equipment is identical to standard FTTP and supports up to 1.8Gbps (what you can buy depends on the provider's packages).

The catches:

• Not every home qualifies. It can only be ordered for premises that Openreach's systems flag as having FTTP on Demand availability.
• It is slow. Openreach's fact sheet says orders take a minimum of three months, and depending on distance or complexity they can take several months.
• It depends on a provider. Openreach doesn't publish a consumer price (pricing on its product page sits in an area for its provider customers), so whether you can get it, and what you would be charged, depends on a provider choosing to order it for you.

We couldn't verify which providers currently offer it to households, so we name none. Ask providers that sell over Openreach, and get any quote, build charge and contract length in writing. The provider, not Openreach, manages the order, installation and engineer bookings.

Community-owned networks

Some areas have a community-owned network, such as B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North), a Community Benefit Society that builds full fibre to hard-to-reach rural areas with the help of local volunteers, investors and supportive landowners. B4RN says you don't have to invest to get a connection, and trained volunteer Community Dig Teams can earn money for a community fund by digging garden trenches and fitting home kit. Its coverage is limited, and its funding page still refers to the now-closed national voucher scheme.

Project Gigabit

Project Gigabit is the government's programme to bring gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach areas that are not in suppliers' commercial plans. The government expects 99% of premises to have access to a gigabit-capable connection by 2032. GOV.UK says over 30 contracts have been signed. In England and Wales, its checker (above) shows whether gigabit broadband is available or planned for your address.

What happened to gigabit vouchers?

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme gave grants worth up to £4,500 each, allocated to residents and businesses, which suppliers could pool towards gigabit-capable connections, but only where there was no Project Gigabit procurement or contract, and no existing or planned commercial coverage. According to GOV.UK (updated 2 September 2026), it closed to new voucher project submissions on 31 August 2026. Existing voucher projects continue until the scheme's planned closure on 31 March 2028, or their agreed end dates if earlier.

If you pledged to a project submitted before the deadline, ask the supplier for its timetable. ISPreview notes that councils sometimes topped up voucher values, and that the closure doesn't stop local authorities and devolved governments running their own schemes with their own money, so ask your council.

Sometimes the fibre is in the street but can't get into your building or across private land. That usually comes down to a wayleave: a legal agreement letting a network install equipment on land or a building it doesn't own.

Blocks of flats. Openreach needs a wayleave from the landlord or managing agent, and residents can submit the landlord's details through its online form. Openreach says there is no minimum number of interested residents, that in an area where it is bringing full fibre it can include the building free of charge, that a survey and an asbestos register (or confirmation) are needed, and that nobody is obliged to take the fibre. See our guide to getting full fibre in a block of flats.

Private roads and shared land. Openreach also needs a wayleave for equipment on private land that serves people who don't own it, such as a private lane or shared driveway. Our guide to broadband wayleaves explains what landowners are asked to agree to.

Check every technology at your address

• Part-fibre (FTTC). Openreach's fibre-to-the-cabinet service offers up to 76Mbps download and 15Mbps upload and reaches 96% of the country; your speed depends on your distance from the cabinet. See our fibre broadband deals page.
• Another wired network. Another network may already reach your street, so look across the broadband providers hub.
• Mobile or satellite. If wired options are poor, 4G or 5G home broadband, fixed wireless or satellite may do better. Our guide to rural broadband options compares them, downsides included.

If your connection is really poor, use your legal right

If you can't get a download speed of 10Mbit/s and an upload speed of 1Mbit/s, you may be able to request an upgraded connection under the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) from BT (or KCOM in Hull). It is a right to request, with conditions. Under the 2018 order that set it up:

• a connection meeting the standard must not already be available at your address. BT says that includes a connection through a 4G hub, so a mobile or wireless service can rule you out;
• one must not be due through a publicly funded scheme within a year of your request;
• the build is covered up to £3,400; above that, you pay the excess.

Our guide to the broadband USO covers the full eligibility rules and how to apply.

Be careful with contract length

If full fibre looks close, think twice before a new 18 or 24-month deal. Openreach suggests that if your contract ends during a community partnership build, you might postpone a new one until you can order full fibre. A shorter or rolling monthly broadband contract keeps you free to switch soon after fibre goes live, though you will usually still give notice: 30 days at the providers our rolling contracts guide checked. Before signing anything, check the end date and any exit fees in the contract summary.

When you compare, put your postcode into the comparison on this site to see live deals available at your postcode. We compare deals through a partner and don't switch you; you order with the provider.