New reports show that most UK homes can now access full-fibre broadband services. The Connected Nations report discloses that full-fibre broadband is available to 52% of UK homes, equating to 15.4 million households.
“Availability of gigabit-capable broadband continues to improve at a rapid pace,” the report states.
Gigabit-Capable Broadband
Now, 22.4 million UK homes—about 75%—can connect to gigabit-capable broadband. Full-fibre broadband mainly expands because of contributions from large and small service providers across the UK.
The report confirms, “This has been driven mainly by the larger fibre operators but also supported by a number of smaller providers.”
Superfast Broadband Accessible for Most
97% of UK homes can access superfast broadband with download speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s. Public funding may help bring this service to homes in difficult-to-reach locations.
“The final 3% of properties are likely to be in harder-to-reach areas, which more recent publicly-funded schemes could help,” according to Connected Nations.
Decent Broadband is Almost Everywhere
Most UK properties—99%—can get decent broadband, offering at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload speed. Ofcom’s report confirms, “Decent broadband connection – which is a download speed of at least 10 Mbit/s is accessible to 99% of the UK.”
Mobile Coverage Remains Steady
While mobile coverage hasn’t changed much, network upgrades are underway. About 93% of the UK can access good outdoor 4G coverage from at least one provider.
The Connected Nations report predicts that this will extend to 95% by the end of 2025, thanks to the Shared Rural Network.
More from News
- Bank Of England Holds Interest Rates At 4.25%, What Does This Mean For UK?
- One Of The Largest Data Breach In History Leaked 16 Billion Passwords
- 23andMe Co-Founder Bids To Buy Back Data After Company Announces Bankruptcy
- How Is The UK Boosting The Cyber Sector?
- Starlink Is Bringing More Connectivity Options To The UK, Here’s How
- Is AI To Blame For Recent Big Tech Job Cuts?
- Experts Share: How In-App Whatsapp Ads Will Affect The Overall User Experience
- UK’s NayaOne Enters Saudi Market With AstroLabs, Launching First Fully Saudi-Hosted Fintech Platform
Geographic and Road 4G Not-Spots
Even with wide coverage, there are still areas without 4G services. Geographic not-spots have slightly decreased from 8% to 7%, and road coverage remains almost unchanged, with about 4% of roads having no in-vehicle 4G signal. The situation varies, particularly in Scotland and Wales.
Calls and Texts
Coverage for calls and texts hasn’t changed much. The range of coverage varies from 85-93%, depending on the provider. And nearly all premises in the UK—99%—have outdoor voice call coverage from all providers.
Slow Adoption of Available Services
While broadband and mobile services improve, not all consumers are taking advantage of these offerings.
Ofcom has noted that “many premises have not taken up the option of the fastest broadband package available to them.” With an average broadband speed of 65.3 Mbit/s, there’s room for improvement for those who want faster connections.
Regional Differences
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland outpace Scotland in full-fibre connectivity.
While more than half of the UK has access to a full-fibre connection, Scotland lags just below that at 49%. In contrast, Northern Ireland leads with 90% of homes having such a connection.
The Connected Nations and Ofcom reports both indicate that broadband and mobile coverage are generally improving across the UK.
Adoption rates could still be better, and some regions still need more attention to catch up. As these services continue to expand, it’s important for consumers to be aware and take advantage of what’s available to them.
