Ofcom: Ultrafast broadband available to 53% of UK

More than half of UK properties can now access ultrafast broadband, according to Ofcom’s latest data on broadband and mobile availability.

This interim update to Ofcom’s annual Connected Nations report provides a snapshot on progress towards delivering better broadband and mobile, wherever people are. It uses data collected from broadband and mobile companies in January 2019, which the media regulator says it has assessed in detail to ensure coverage estimates are as accurate as possible.

Ofcom found:

Broadband availability

• Ultrafast broadband (offering download speeds of at least 300Mbit/s) is now available to most UK properties for the first time – 53 per cent, up from 49 per cent in September 2018.
• Superfast broadband (offering download speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s) is now available to 95 per cent of UK properties, up from 94 per cent.
• Full-fibre broadband (using fibre cables all the way from the exchange to people’s homes) is now available to 7 per cent of UK properties, up from 6 per cent.
• The number of people unable to get decent broadband (offering download speeds of at least 10 Mbit/s, and upload of 1 Mbit/s) has fallen by a third in the last year – to 619,000 UK properties (2 per cent).

Mobile coverage

• Indoor 4G coverage from all four mobile networks is now at 78 per cent of premises – up from 77 per cent in September 2018.
• Geographic 4G coverage from all four networks is now at 67 per cent of the UK land area – up from 66 per cent.
• ‘Total not-spots’ (areas not covered by any network) now account for 8 per cent of the UK land area – down from 9 per cent in September 2018.

Ofcom will publish its next interim update in late summer, with the full annual report coming out at the end of 2019.

Kim Mears, MD Strategic Infrastructure Development said: “This is great news for the UK and we’re proud to be leading the build of faster, more reliable and future-proof broadband networks across the country.

“We want to be the national full fibre provider and we’re convinced our technology can be a huge catalyst for productivity and prosperity post-Brexit.

“We’re investing heavily in our network and people; in communities all over the UK, and we’re on track to hit our target of reaching three million premises by the end of 2020. But we want to go much further, and we will do if the conditions are right to invest.”