Openreach has set 18 December 2026 as the launch date for its next-generation Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) 2.0 service, alongside the new Cablelink Service Connect (CSC) product, after notifying broadband providers of the timetable.

New speed tiers for business links

EAD is Openreach's point-to-point leased-line service, used by businesses to connect sites and by providers for network backhaul at speeds of up to 10Gbps. The new version adds intermediate tiers of 2Gbps and 3Gbps over a 10Gbps bearer, alongside 1Gbps and 10Gbps options, with one-year and three-year terms available.

Openreach says the upgrade will bring lower port, space and power costs, greater resilience and remote bandwidth upgrades where providers have the right optical equipment installed. It will also replace the current powered termination equipment with a passive demarcation device fitted with a reflector, making faults easier to diagnose.

Cablelink changes and wider rollout

Providers taking EAD 2.0 will also need to take CSC, offered in 12, 24 and 48-fibre configurations, with a fibre pair activated for each service. Cablelink capacity underpins Openreach's full-fibre and leased-line connections, and the company plans to consolidate its older Cablelink products into CSC over time, although existing services will continue.

Speeds of up to 100Gbps are possible in future, although that capability is not due to enter its pilot phase until May 2027. At launch, EAD 2.0 will be available from 193 handover points, expanding to around 400 during 2027-28 and to about 960 by 2030. Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review 2026 said the products should initially be priced on a fair and reasonable basis.

Christopher Bailey, Openreach's Ethernet and optical product director, said EAD 2.0 offered businesses "more choice, greater flexibility and simpler, more efficient technology", adding that it would help diagnose problems remotely and restore customers more quickly.