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CityFibre vs Openreach: Which Full Fibre Network Is Right for You?
If you’re choosing full fibre broadband, you’ll usually end up connected through one of two networks: Openreach or CityFibre. When it comes to CityFibre vs Openreach, both deliver genuine full fibre (FTTP) connections, but they’re built differently, and the right choice often comes down to what’s actually available at your address rather than which network is “better” in the abstract. Here’s a straight comparison to help you decide between CityFibre or Openreach at your own address.
The Basic Difference
Openreach is BT’s network arm and the UK’s largest broadband infrastructure provider. Its network includes a mix of older part-copper connections (FTTC) and newer full fibre (FTTP), and it’s used by the widest range of retail providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, EE and many smaller ISPs.
CityFibre is the UK’s largest independent full fibre network, an “altnet” built from the ground up as 100% fibre, with no copper anywhere in the connection. It’s a wholesale network, meaning you sign up through a retail provider such as Exascale rather than CityFibre directly.
Coverage: Openreach Wins on Availability
This is the clearest difference between the two. Openreach’s network reaches the vast majority of UK premises, including both FTTC and a rapidly growing FTTP footprint. CityFibre’s full fibre network, while expanding quickly and now passing around 4.5-4.7 million UK premises across more than 95 towns and cities, is still more concentrated in specific areas rather than nationwide.
In short: if you’re checking availability at your address, you may simply find only one of the two networks is actually live there, which settles the decision for you.
Speed and Upload Performance: CityFibre’s Strength
Where both networks offer FTTP, the technical difference that matters most is upload speed. Openreach’s FTTP connections are typically asymmetric, meaning download speeds far outpace upload (for example, a 900Mbps package might offer around 110Mbps upload). CityFibre’s network, by contrast, commonly supports symmetric upload speeds, meaning upload matches download on many packages.
That matters more than it might sound for:
- Video calls and remote work
- Cloud backups
- Uploading large files or content
- Live streaming
For casual browsing and streaming, this difference is barely noticeable. For anyone regularly uploading data, it can be significant.
CityFibre has also upgraded the majority of its network to XGS-PON, supporting multi-gig speeds up to and beyond 2.5Gb in areas with compatible packages, a tier Openreach doesn’t yet match at scale.
Pricing: Often Competitive on CityFibre
Because CityFibre is the newer, challenger network, pricing on it is often competitive, particularly where multiple retail providers compete for the same coverage area. That’s not universal, since pricing depends on the specific provider and package, not just the underlying network, but as a general pattern, CityFibre-based full fibre deals are frequently priced to compete aggressively with Openreach equivalents.
Reliability and Network Age
Both networks deliver genuine full fibre where available, so day-to-day reliability differences are usually smaller than the marketing suggests. CityFibre’s network is newer with less legacy infrastructure layered on top of it; Openreach’s is far larger and more mature, with decades of operational experience managing UK broadband at scale.
So Which Should You Choose: CityFibre or Openreach?
For most people, the honest answer is: whichever network is actually available at your address, since that decision is usually made for you, not by you. Where you’re lucky enough to have both CityFibre or Openreach live at your address:
- Choose CityFibre if upload speed matters to you (remote work, content creation, backups) or you want access to multi-gig tiers like 2.5Gb
- Choose Openreach if you want the widest possible choice of retail providers, or you’re prioritising an established, mature network
Either way, compare actual packages and providers rather than the network alone, since your day-to-day experience depends heavily on your ISP, not just the infrastructure underneath.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CityFibre faster than Openreach? Top-end speeds are broadly comparable on both networks where fully upgraded, but CityFibre generally offers stronger upload speeds and earlier access to multi-gig tiers like 2.5Gb.
Can I get both CityFibre and Openreach at my address? In some areas, yes, coverage does overlap. Checking your postcode will show which networks, and which providers, are actually available to you.
Do I need a phone line for CityFibre or Openreach full fibre? No, full fibre (FTTP) broadband on either network is broadband-only, so there’s no line rental required.