Nearly 7 in 10 UK homes now have full fibre access, says report

The latest annual report on the nation’s broadband and mobile networks from industry watchdog Ofcom reveals that a record 20.7 million UK homes can now access full fibre broadband, with an increase in the number of households signing up to services where available rising to 35 percent.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations report has revealed that 69 percent (20.7 million) of UK homes now have access to full fibre broadband, up from 57 percent (17.1 million) in September 2023.

Taking full fibre and cable networks together, 25 million homes (83 percent) now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, suggesting the Government’s target of 85 percent coverage by 2025 is likely to be reached.

Figures from the report also show that the number of households signed up to full fibre broadband services where available has risen from 28 percent between May 2023 and July 2024.

Take up of full fibre is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, with over half (52 percent) of homes in rural areas with full-fibre access are signed up, compared with just under a third (32 percent) in towns and cities.

With customers moving in greater numbers to higher-speed broadband packages, the UK average maximum download speed has also increased from 170Mbit/s to 223Mbit/s in 2024.

The report, which covers the full range of the UK’s communications networks, also contains other key findings, including the take-up of superfast broadband has reached 75 percent of premises; a reduction in the number of premises unable to get decent broadband – down to 58,000 since last year; satellite broadband take-up has more than doubled from 42,000 last year; and the availability of mobile 5G continues to gradually expand, with 5G technology now carrying more than a fifth of all monthly mobile data traffic in the UK.