Upcoming Works

Digital Infrastructure is increasingly understood to be a key enabler for modern life. Providing access to digital services, supporting economic growth, fostering communication, enabling learning and driving innovation. The Oxfordshire digital connectivity landscape is evolving with full-fibre connectivity now seen as critical for future-proofing the county’s broadband infrastructure & a key driver for services in the county. 

The National Infrastructure Strategy produced by HM Treasury in November 2020, includes ambitious targets for a minimum 85% gigabit capable coverage nationally by 2025 with further rollout targeting as close to 100% as possible by 2033. Oxfordshire currently has 65% of premises with access to gigabit capable broadband (26.2% coverage being full fibre) and our programme has helped generate significant interest from commercial Telecoms Operators to build further full fibre broadband infrastructure in the county over the next five years.

Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) or ‘full fibre’ provides a fibre optic connection all the way from the telephone exchange to your property, whereas traditional fibre broadband (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet FTTC) is a fibre connection to your local on-street cabinet, then a copper connection from the cabinet to your property. FTTP is a 100% fibre connection, which offers lightning speeds and improves the performance of your internet connection. If you’re in an FTTP enabled area, you can benefit from connection speeds of up to 1000mbps (=1 Gigabit). This new infrastructure will eventually be delivered to the curtilage of over 180,000 premises in the county, presenting a huge civils undertaking.  

Planning consent, access to public sector assets such as street furniture and the installation of ducting to carry the fibre in Oxfordshire’s roads, pavements, and verges will all require careful planning and noticing so as to minimise the disruption to local residents by necessary civils works.  To this end the Digital Infrastructure team are working on a focussed, collective, collaborative engagement with private sector Telecoms Operators to ensure Oxfordshire businesses and residents benefit from their digital infrastructure investment into the county.

The OCC Digital Infrastructure Programme collaborates with all Telecoms Operators equally. Commercial operators’ plans are regularly updated and will continue to develop over time and we will continue to share regular updates with you about plans in your area.

We hope this background information is useful, but if you have any queries or concerns, please contact us at broadband@oxfordshire.gov.uk