Does NOW Broadband Use Openreach?
Yes. NOW uses Openreach, but older NOW accounts and Sky-managed plans work differently.
First, which NOW service do you have?
NOW Broadband
Brilliant Broadband uses copper. Fab Fibre and Super Fibre use part fibre, with copper covering the final stretch. These older packages are closed to new members.
Your existing account: NOW
NOW Powered by Sky
New NOW-branded offers take you to Sky to order. With this service, your broadband contract is with Sky, which manages your account and support.
Your service provider: Sky
Check your bill or order confirmation if you are unsure. The NOW or Sky name on the hub is a useful clue to the account, but it does not identify the physical access network.
Where does Openreach fit in?
Openreach runs the local access network used by many broadband providers. NOW’s own legacy support guidance names Openreach as the company managing the line between the home and the exchange or cabinet.
Sky also uses Openreach, including its full-fibre network. That means a NOW-branded service can involve Sky handling the account and Openreach maintaining the connection into the property.
+ network
The provider sells and supports your package. Openreach supplies the access connection where its network is used. Changing the name on your bill does not necessarily change the cable entering your home.
Our guide to what the Openreach network does explains the wider relationship.
Openreach does not always mean an old copper line
The network owner and connection technology answer different questions. Openreach supplies both part fibre and full fibre. For the terminology, see fibre, full fibre and part fibre explained.
What about current NOW full-fibre orders?
NOW currently advertises Full Fibre 75, 100 and 300 through its Sky-powered service. Availability comes from the offer for your exact address.
Sky lists NOW Superfast as part fibre (SoGEA), and NOW Full Fibre 75, 100 and 300 as FTTP.
Sky’s wider full-fibre range uses both Openreach and CityFibre. That does not, by itself, establish the network for a particular NOW order. Ask Sky to confirm it rather than treating “Powered by Sky” as a guarantee of either network.
The broader Sky position is covered in does Sky Broadband use Openreach?
Will you need an engineer or a new line?
- Keeping the same type of line
- A provider change may reuse the existing connection. The order still needs confirming; an old socket does not prove a service is ready to activate.
- Already have an Openreach ONT?
- An eligible order on that network can often reuse it. Leave the box and power supply in place, including when moving home.
- Moving from copper to full fibre
- A telephone socket cannot act as an ONT. If suitable fibre equipment is not installed, the order may require a new cable, a fibre box and an engineer appointment.
The supplier should confirm the work and appointment. An existing fibre box from a different network is not proof that it can be reused for your order.
Who do you contact if NOW broadband fails?
Start with your provider
Use NOW for an older NOW account, or Sky for NOW Powered by Sky.
Let it test the service
Your provider checks the connection and equipment, then identifies the next step.
It arranges network work
Where an Openreach line needs repair, your provider raises the fault and arranges an engineer if needed.
You do not need to diagnose the outside line or book Openreach yourself. For a full-fibre fault, noting the wall box’s light pattern can help. Our ONT lights guide explains what to look for.
I would ask one question before ordering: “Will you reuse my existing connection, and which network will supply it?” That gives you something useful to plan around, especially if you already have a fibre box fitted.
Hasnaat MahmoodFindCheapBroadband
Key sources
- NOW: older broadband technologies and Sky-managed contracts and support.
- Access network: NOW guidance on Openreach line work and network and connection types.
- Current packages: NOW Broadband and Sky’s technology guide.
- Sky: Openreach and CityFibre availability in its wider full-fibre range.
- Openreach: equipment at the property and reporting a fault through your provider.