BT ADDS 2.2 MILLION FIBRE CONNECTIONS BUT STILL LOSES 825,000 BROADBAND LINES

WHAT BT REPORTED

BT Group published its full-year results for the period ending 31 March 2026. The company reported revenue of around £19.7 billion, down 3%, while adjusted EBITDA was broadly flat at £8.2 billion. Behind those financial figures, the broadband story is more interesting for UK consumers.

Openreach, BT’s wholesale network arm, continued to expand full fibre at scale. BT said the Openreach FTTP footprint reached 23 million premises, which it described as more than two thirds of UK homes and businesses. The company also said it remains on track to reach 25 million premises by the end of December 2026.

At the same time, Openreach continued to lose broadband lines overall. BT reported 203,000 line losses in Q4, taking the full-year figure to 825,000. The company expects a similar, though slightly lower, level of losses in the next financial year.

THE KEY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

The figures below are the ones that matter most for broadband customers and anyone watching the UK fibre market.

WHY THIS IS A MIXED PICTURE, NOT A SIMPLE WIN OR LOSS

It would be easy to pick one number and build a dramatic headline around it. The fibre growth number sounds very positive. The line-loss number sounds negative. Both are true, and both need context.

The full-fibre growth shows that the UK’s upgrade away from older copper and part-fibre broadband is gathering pace. More homes are being passed by fibre, more customers are taking FTTP, and Openreach remains the largest fixed-line infrastructure player in the country.

The line-loss figure shows the other side of the market. Households now have more options in many areas. Some can choose Virgin Media O2, CityFibre-based providers, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, independent rural fibre networks, fixed wireless or even satellite in harder-to-reach locations. When customers leave a service running on Openreach for another physical network, that can show up as a line loss.

So the honest reading is this: Openreach is still growing strongly in fibre, but it is no longer operating in the same low-choice broadband market that existed in many places a decade ago.

WHAT ARE BROADBAND LINE LOSSES?

A broadband line loss does not automatically mean a household has stopped using the internet. It usually means a line has been disconnected from that provider or network. The customer may have switched to another broadband network, moved home, stopped a second line, changed product type or left the market entirely.

For Openreach, line losses matter because the company sells access to its network to retail providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Zen and others. If a household moves from an Openreach-based service to a separate altnet or cable network, Openreach can lose that wholesale line.

This is why line losses can sit alongside fibre connection growth. Openreach can gain many FTTP customers while still losing some of its wider broadband base to other networks.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR UK BROADBAND CUSTOMERS

For customers, the main benefit is choice. More full-fibre coverage means more homes can access faster and more reliable broadband than older copper-based services. Full fibre can also improve upload speeds and stability, especially for video calls, gaming, cloud backups and working from home.

But more fibre does not automatically mean every deal is better. Some customers will see several providers selling on the same Openreach network. Others may have Openreach plus one or more rival networks. Some rural or difficult areas may still have limited choice.

COMPETITION IS NOW THE BIGGER STORY

The UK fibre market has changed quickly. Openreach is still huge, but it is not the only fibre builder. Alternative networks have spent years building in towns, cities and rural areas, often trying to win customers with lower prices, faster upload speeds or shorter installation waits.

That competition is good for many consumers, but it also makes the market messier. A street might have Openreach full fibre, Virgin Media O2, and a smaller altnet. Another street a few roads away might have only part-fibre or one full-fibre choice. National averages can hide very local differences.

Openreach’s 825,000 line losses show that rival networks are taking some business. But the 2.2 million fibre connection growth shows Openreach is also converting a large number of households onto its own next-generation network. Both trends can continue at the same time.

PRICES, VALUE AND THE CUSTOMER REALITY

BT’s results also point to a less exciting but very important issue: value. Full fibre is better technology, but customers still care about monthly bills. Many households are under pressure, and broadband is now a basic utility rather than a luxury.

Openreach broadband ARPU increased during the year, helped by FTTP take-up, speed mix and price increases. In plain English, that means customers moving to faster products and price changes can push average revenue up. That may be good for network investment, but it is not always good news for household budgets.

If you stream in 4K, work from home, game online or have a busy household, full fibre can be worth it. If you only browse, email and stream on one or two devices, a cheaper package may still be enough. The right answer depends on usage, not just the biggest number on the advert.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

The next year will be important for BT, Openreach and the wider market. BT expects Openreach line losses of around 800,000 in FY27, so competition is not going away. The company also wants to reach its 25 million premises full-fibre milestone by the end of December 2026.

For customers, the biggest things to watch are not just national coverage numbers. The key question is what becomes available at your own address, and at what price.

OUR HONEST VIEW

This is not a bad set of broadband numbers for BT, but it is not a clean victory either. Openreach is clearly building and connecting full fibre at serious scale. That is good for the UK, because older copper-based broadband has needed replacing for years.

The line losses are the warning sign. They show that customers and providers have alternatives, and that Openreach has to compete for every connection. For a long time, many people had little real choice. In more areas now, that is changing.

For UK homes, the best outcome is not one network dominating everything. The best outcome is reliable coverage, fair prices, clear contracts and enough competition to keep providers honest. BT’s latest figures suggest the UK is moving towards a more fibre-heavy market, but customers still need to check deals carefully rather than assuming bigger network numbers automatically mean better value.

SOURCES AND DISCLOSURE

This article is original commentary written for FindCheapBroadband. The factual figures are based on BT Group’s full-year results and supporting coverage from established telecoms and financial news sources.