Eighty-four per cent of UK premises can receive gigabit-capable broadband, according to new Ofcom data.
That means Internet companies are on track to meet government’s initial target of 85 per cent gigabit coverage by the end of 2025.
The figures, which come from Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring update, show that in January 27.2 million premises (84 per cent) could access broadband with speeds of 1000 Mbit/s or more, up from 82 per cent in July 2024.
Ofcom’s data also reveals that almost three-quarters of premises (73 per cent or 23.7 million) can access full-fibre broadband, which uses fibre-optic cables to deliver fast and reliable Internet connections, up from 67 per cent last year.
Progress in reducing the number of premises unable to get decent broadband, defined by government as download speeds of at least 10 Mbit/s and upload speeds of 1 Mbit/s, has also continued. To date, 48,000 properties are without access to decent broadband, down from 58,000 last year. This is expected to drop further as publicly-funded schemes roll out better broadband to the most rural and remote communities.
The report also found that mobile coverage has remained stable since September 2024, with around 96 per cent of the UK landmass predicted to have good outdoor 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator. Additionally, 5G coverage has remained stable over the previous four months, with around 62 per cent of the UK landmass predicted to have 5G coverage from at least one mobile network operator.