7 in 10 UK home now have access to full fibre

Ofcom has just published its Connected Nations 2024 report, which outlines progress on the availability and take-up of broadband and mobile services in the UK. 

It finds that nearly seven in 10 (69% or 20.7 million) UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from 57% (17.1 million) in September 2023.

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

The number of households signed up to full-fibre broadband services where available has risen from 28% to 35% (7.5 million households) between May 2023 and July 2024.  

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. 

In mobile, the availability of mobile 5G continues to gradually expand. 5G technology now carries more than a fifth (21%) of all monthly mobile data traffic in the UK, while around 50% of mobile handsets are now 5G capable. 

4G remains the most used technology, carrying 78% of all monthly mobile data traffic. 4G landmass coverage where it is available from at least one operator is now at 95%, up from 93% last year, largely driven by the Shared Rural Network programme.

Visit Ofcom’s news centre to find out more.