BT reports strong full fibre growth with 6.5 million UK premises connected

BT Group has announced robust financial results for the year ending March 31, 2025, highlighting significant progress in its full fibre broadband rollout across the UK.

The company reported that 6.5 million premises are now subscribed to Openreach’s full fibre services, marking a substantial increase in take-up.

The telecommunications giant revealed that its full fibre network now extends to over 18 million homes and businesses, with 4.3 million premises passed by Openreach’s rollout in the last 12 months alone. This rapid expansion has led BT to raise its build target by 20%, aiming to connect up to 5 million UK premises in the current financial year (FY26), keeping it on track to reach 25 million by the end of 2026.

Despite a year-on-year decline in revenue, primarily due to lower international sales and handset figures, BT Group demonstrated strong financial control. The company achieved over £900 million in annualised cost savings, which, combined with a heightened focus on transformation, resulted in growth in both EBITDA and normalised free cash flow. This positive financial trajectory allowed BT to increase its dividend for FY25 by 2% to 8.16p per share.

Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive of BT Group, commented on the results, stating:

“BT Group delivered strong progress against its strategic priorities in FY25, as we stepped up the pace of build of the UK’s leading next generation networks.”

She added: “We set new record build and connect highs: our full fibre network now reaches more than 18m homes and businesses, with more than 6.5m already connected.”

The take-up rate for Openreach’s full fibre services stands at a “market leading” 36%, with 500,000 net additions in the last quarter (January to March 2025). The average revenue per user (ARPU) for Openreach has also seen a 6% rise, driven by increased FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) take-up and improved speed mix.

However, the report also noted a slight dip in total Openreach broadband lines, falling by 243,000 in the quarter. This decline is attributed to competition from other full fibre providers in certain areas and what BT describes as a “weaker broadband market.”