Full-fibre broadband reaches nearly 70% of UK homes – Ofcom

5 December 2024, 12:34

The lights on the front panel of a broadband internet router
Watchdog rules against six broadband providers. Picture: PA

The telecoms regulator has published its latest Connected Nations report looking at the state of the connectivity market across the UK.

More than 20 million UK homes can now access full-fibre broadband, according to Ofcom’s latest figures.

The telecoms regulator’s latest Connected Nations report said that 69% of UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from 57% in September last year.

Using fibre-optic cables all the way to the home, instead of traditional copper lines, makes full-fibre broadband faster and more reliable, as well as providing the potential to deliver gigabit-capable speeds.

Ofcom said the latest figures suggest that the Government’s target of having 85% of the UK covered by a gigabit-capable broadband connection by 2025 is likely to be reached.

However, the figures showed that a gap still existed between the number of homes able to access a full-fibre connection and those actually taking up such services.

Ofcom’s figures showed sign-up numbers had risen from 28% to 35% – equal to around 7.5 million homes – with take-up of full fibre notably higher in rural areas.

Amid this uptick in people moving to higher-speed broadband packages, Ofcom said the UK’s average maximum download speed has risen from 170Mbit/s to 223Mbit/s in 2024.

Natalie Black, Ofcom’s networks and communications group director, said: “It’s a record-breaking year for broadband in the UK, as the rollout of full fibre continues to steam ahead.

“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.”

Elsewhere, the report showed that the availability of mobile 5G continues to grow, and now accounts for more than a fifth of all monthly mobile data traffic in the UK.

The study also noted a sharp rise in the uptake of satellite-based broadband.

Ofcom’s report said that in 2024, connections through Elon Musk’s Starlink reached 87,000 – mostly in rural areas – more than double the 42,000 connections in 2023.

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

The OpenAI logo is displayed on a mobile phone

OpenAI hit by outage after ‘technical issue’ impacts Meta social media apps

Medical equipment in a hospital

NHS uses AI to find ‘frequent attenders’ in A&E

Mobile phone screen showing apps

Meta ‘99%’ finished fixing ‘technical issue’ that caused widespread blackout

Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram icons

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp faces 'technical issue' as thousands report outage

Google Gemini

Google unveils next-generation version of Gemini AI assistant

Apple Intelligence tools displayed on a range of Apple device screens

How can UK users get Apple Intelligence on their device?

Apple iPhone screens

Apple Intelligence begins rolling out in the UK

A new AI-powered blood test is the first to detect signs of breast cancer in its earliest stages

AI-powered blood test first to spot earliest signs of breast cancer

People on a railway station concourse

People commuting more and going to bed earlier, Virgin Media O2 data shows

A child using a laptop

Teachers ‘reluctant to use AI for pupil learning and assessment’

The Amazon Books Most Sold list ranks books according to the number of copies sold and pre-ordered in both print and ebook (PA)

Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid best-selling book of the year on Amazon UK

An iPhone 16 display

Apple’s UK engineering teams have ‘doubled in size in five years’

A-level students sat at desks for an exam inside a sports hall

AI could be used to help generate exam question papers, Ofqual chief says

Bafta has released the full longlist of 58 games that have been voted as the best titles of 2024 (PA)

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 among titles on longlist for 2025 Bafta Game Awards

Luke Littler gesturing to the crowd

Luke Littler and Oasis among top-trending Google searches in UK in 2024

A ChapGPT logo on a smartphone

OpenAI launches video generation tool Sora