Network access provider Openreach (BT) has revealed that Storm Éowyn (pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’), which violently struck the United Kingdom at the end of last week on Friday 24th January 2025 (here and here), has so far left more than 500 broadband / telecoms poles “badly damaged“, with reports continuing to come in.
The storm, which was the result of explosive cyclogenesis (aka – a weather bomb), focused most of its destructive energy on Ireland, Northern Ireland, Northern parts of Wales and Scotland. Record wind speeds of up to 114mph were even recorded in some of the worst hit areas and Openreach, as well as other network operators, are still in the process of repairing the damage it caused.
Such storms do have an impact on fixed broadband and mobile connectivity, which can be caused by a variety of different factors from storm damage (wind, floods etc.) to power outages and power surges (lightning) etc. Such things, when occurring over a wide area, can impact network capacity, stability and performance. Naturally, responding to this can put a strain on resources and so repairs sometimes take longer than usual, while other work (new provisions) in the same areas may often be delayed.
The latest data from Openreach reveals that the operator saw a 1400% increase in public contacts on the day that Storm Éowyn struck, compared with a typical day. In addition, the sheer force of the storm, and so many falling trees, has left more than 500 poles badly damaged, with reports continuing to come in.
Openreach has previously informed ISPreview that it typically takes around 20 days to fix damaged poles (here). But pole repairs can also depend upon wider issues of road permits/permissions, availability of engineering resources, site safety, the level of local damage and delays from power companies (where relevant) etc.
Openreach Statement on Storm Éowyn Pole Damage
Replacing poles is one of the most complex jobs we do. It needs specialist equipment and engineers, specific safety measures, and often permissions for road closures with temporary traffic lights. In some areas, we’re replacing multiple poles making the whole process even more time-consuming.
Why do we use poles rather than burying every cable underground? It’s a lot to do with the economics, but also the disruption to communities that digging underground ducts entails. It’s not just hugely expensive to build networks underground, it also means far more road works and closures, bringing communities to a standstill.
We want to deliver a fast, reliable and – crucially – affordable service to millions of homes and businesses – and that’s what we’re doing. Our network has hundreds of competing service providers offering a big choice of products and services, and we’re constantly innovating to deliver the most resilient infrastructure possible in the most efficient way.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that underground networks aren’t immune from extreme weather events like flooding.
Suffice to say, we’ve seen before how homes in remote rural areas have sometimes been left to wait for up to 8-12 weeks before repairs take place to poles, although such cases are rare. However, in urban areas, resolving a downed pole may only be a matter of hours or just a few short days. Hopefully there won’t be too many cases like the former this winter, but there are usually a few like that.