Openreach joining the National Underground Asset Register ‘a giant step forward’
With the UK’s largest broadband network provider on board, NUAR now has over three million kilometres of buried infrastructure mapped with the platform.
Press Office
In total, NUAR holds detailed information from underground asset owners for an estimated 3.25 million kilometres of pipes, across electricity, gas, water, pipeline operators and telecoms. As work continues with asset owners to capture more data, the platform is edging closer to achieving full coverage for the subterranean network below.
Planners, site supervisors, operational response teams, excavators and other contractors accessing the platform will be able to do their jobs more effectively and safely. It will save significant time, help reduce potential injuries, delays, road closures and disruption, improving the public service and people’s everyday lives.
What is NUAR?
NUAR is a secure, digital map that supports existing safe digging processes. The increased coverage from Openreach will further strengthen the benefits it delivers to telecoms, energy, pipeline, water, transport, local authorities and their contractors.
It gives excavators better access to data and enables safer and more efficient installation, maintenance, operation and repair of buried infrastructure. It increases industry co-ordination, because NUAR is a centralised and secure platform that shares a standardised view of underground asset data on the map. And it increases operational efficiency through instant access to data, reducing multiple requests for information that previously took on average six days to obtain.
"As the UKs largest telecommunications infrastructure provider, we are pleased to have started our NUAR journey. Safety is our number one priority, and today Openreach provides information to other providers needing to dig near our infrastructure. NUAR has the potential to provide the ‘one stop shop’ for users to view everyone’s infrastructure in a consolidated and unified way, helping keep everyone safe and preventing damage and disruption."
NUAR is operated by Ordnance Survey (OS), Britain’s national mapping service.
OS’s NUAR Product Manager, Carsten Roensdorf, said: “Openreach coming on board is a giant step forward towards getting full coverage in the NUAR platform, further assisting the safe digging process by providing access to a comprehensive set of underground asset data.
“Openreach has a very wide coverage and will add value to most of the searches carried out in NUAR.”
Two sides
Carsten explained adding Openreach data to NUAR was of significance to both existing users and those who had not yet signed up.
He said: “For those who have access to the platform already, Openreach’s data is now there.
“We know coverage is an important element to users, and with all the extra data now provided, users can progress with using the platform more regularly.
“For those asset owners not yet on board with NUAR, they are missing out on accessing underground asset data from all main electricity and gas networks, together with comprehensive telecom data including Openreach’s network, all in one simple interface at the click of a button.
“We’d love remaining asset owners to join and make the platform increasingly comprehensive. Wider participation will help everyone access a more complete view of the underground pipes and cables and support safe excavations.”
Contractors
While OS is making great strides in gathering up all the data required from underground asset owners for NUAR, it is eager to bring more contractors onboard to utilise the platform to support their existing safe digging processes.
One contractor who has seen the benefits of using NUAR is Esh Construction, which operates throughout North East England, the Tees Valley, Yorkshire and the Humber. It participated in trials to test the NUAR platform throughout its public beta phase in 2025.
Esh Construction spokesperson Jordan Richards, Site Engineer said “NUAR is a great tool, we use it every day as part of our safe excavation process. NUAR is used to identify hazards ahead of works, helping to minimise dangers for our site teams, and providing access to a 24/7 live system of underground cables. I find looking at multiple paper maps at different scales and formats very tricky. With NUAR it’s a much better way to identify buried assets. I can see everything in one place on a common platform. I can switch layers on and off and receive the attribute data that I require to enable me to understand what buried assets are in the ground.”
OS wants to work with asset owners and their contractors to assist them all to fully utilise the NUAR platform.
For contractors without access, contact OS’s support team, detailing which asset owner you are working with, so OS can assist getting you onto the NUAR platform.
Contact support@nuar.uk for more information.
Sharing the latest news about OS. We can license you to use OS maps in print, online and film format. For more information and resources for journalists, bloggers and media professionals, email pressoffice@os.uk or call 023 8005 5565.