80% of UK now gigabit broadband ready

New figures show focused efforts to bring superfast internet connections to more homes are working, giving the Government rare cause for celebration.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations spring update, eight-in-ten homes are now ready to be plugged into gigabit broadband connections. This is significantly higher than the same time last year, when 73% of households had necessary cabling. 

As of January 2024, 62% of homes can also access full-fibre broadband, delivered through fibre-optic cables, making speeds faster and connections more reliable. This is up from just 48% in the previous year. Looking at the Home Nations, Northern Ireland is now the leading country for gigabit connections, with 91% accessing this type of provision. 

Downing Street has defined a good broadband connection as download speeds of at least 10Mbps and upload of no less than 1Mbps. Just 57,000 addresses are now unable to reach these speeds. Mobile coverage has also leapt, with 92% of all premises in reach of a 5G signal at the doorstep. This reflects a rise of 10% since 2023. 

According to analytics firm M-Lab and comparison site Cable.co.uk, mean average UK download speeds were 93.56Mbps last year (up from 72.06Mbps the previous year). This research included 1.3billion speed test results globally, with average worldwide download speeds for the same period of 45.60Mbps. Based on these numbers, the UK ranked 34th out of 220 countries for broadband speeds. 

Island nations and small states are doing particularly well at accelerating connection speeds, largely due to the prevalence of fiber-to-premises. This type of service bypasses shared neighbourhood exchanges to bring superfast internet direct to the customer’s address. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Iceland all top the leader board, according to data compiled by Statista. 

More on online networks and computing: 

Children’s relationship with online world – new Ofcom report

IoT infrastructure expands across North Yorkshire 

NHS Dumfries & Galloway ransomware attack sees clinical data published

Image: Denny Müller