Brexit weighs on the deployment of fiber on the other side of the channel. That’s what Clive Seely, general manager of Openreach, BT’s division in charge of the network, said Tuesday. financial Times, While the United Kingdom wants to quickly normalize this technology across the country, and allow residents to benefit from a quality Internet connection, the site has been slowed down by a lack of sufficient manpower. He claims to be forced to limit deployment.

According to him, the deal would be different if it could more easily recruit technicians and skilled workers in Spain or Portugal, countries with almost entirely fiber. “They want work, and we need skills”, says Clive Seely. But he says he is facing sanctions from the Home Office, the British Interior Office, which has tightened conditions for entering the United Kingdom after Brexit. “If it were easy to bring people, I’d take a thousand tomorrow”Added Clive Seely.

French industrialists want their share of the cake

The leaders call on the British government to unite to fulfill its commitment to bring fiber to almost all British households by 2030. With this timetable in mind, more support, and especially subsidies, will be needed, according to Clive Seely. The hardest work remains to be done for OpenReach today. It should cover 25 of the 32 million British households by the end of 2026. To date, there are only 7.6 million.

this could be a good situation In the endBenefit the French telecommunications ecosystem. As in Spain and Portugal, most of the deployment of fiber has already been done in France. Manufacturers are looking for new outlets. according to the estimate of think tank Idate, a total of 21 million fiber outlets are yet to be installed in the UK. French industrialists are expected to share in this huge cake.