69% of UK homes now have access to full-fibre - Ofcom

That figure is up from 57%, or17.1 million homes, in September 2023. Northern Ireland tops the charts with 93% of homes able to access full fibre.

Taking full-fibre and cable networks together, 83%, or 25 million homes now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, which Ofcom says suggests the Government’s target of 85% coverage by 2025 is likely to be reached.   

That’s just the availability of access  – but the actual number of households signed up to full-fibre broadband services also rose from 28% to 35%, or 7.5 million households, between May 2023 and July 2024. 

Take up of full fibre has been higher in rural areas, we’re told, with 52% of with access signed up, compared to 32% in towns and cities.

Meanwhile take-up of superfast broadband – which Ofcom defines as services with download speeds of at least 30 Mbps – has increased from 72% to 75% of residential and business premises.  

Ofcom points out that ‘the law’ says that when this threshold is reached the Government can ask Ofcom to review the broadband universal service obligation (USO) and that it believes this milestone has been met. The USO is supposed to give everyone in the UK the right to ask for an upgrade if they can’t get ‘decent’ broadband – otherwise defined as download speeds of 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 1 Mbps.

The report claims there has been a reduction in the number of premises unable to get ‘decent’ broadband – down from 61,000 to 58,000 since last year. It reckons this could fall further to 26,000 by mid-2027.  

“It’s a record-breaking year for broadband in the UK, as the roll out of full fibre continues to steam ahead,” said Natalie Black, Ofcom’s Networks and Communications Group Director. “Whether you’re running a business, streaming your favourite programmes, or doing Christmas shopping online, it’s more likely than ever that you’ll be able to benefit from a fast and reliable broadband connection.” 

In terms of 5G, Ofcom says availability continues to ‘gradually’ expand. It now accounts for 21% of all monthly mobile data traffic in the UK, while around 50% of mobile handsets are now 5G capable. 4G represents the most, carrying 78% of all monthly mobile data traffic.

5G coverage outside premises ranges between 61% and 79% each, and outside premises where it is available from at least one operator increased to 95% - up from 93% last year^.

Meanwhile in terms of satellite connectivity, Ofcom says Starlink’s satellite broadband reached 87,000 connections – the majority in rural areas. This has more than doubled from 42,000 last year.