We all know that switching suppliers is often the route to getting the best possible broadband deal.
But if you've been putting off switching because it just seems like too much bother, we've got some good news for you - it's about to get a whole lot easier!
Industry watchdog Ofcom have unveiled new rules that will make it possible to change broadband providers in as little as one day.
Under the terms of their new "One Touch Switch" process you'll need to contact only your new supplier when you want to make the move.
You won't have to speak to your existing provider at all - which means you won't have to face the hard sell or any of the other tactics they use to stop you from leaving.
How it works
For the first time, the process applies to cable and full fibre providers, who were previously exempt from the rules. And it means that in some cases you'll be able to change providers the next day.
Once you sign up, your new provider will take on responsibility for managing the entire switching process.
You will automatically receive all the information you need from your current provider. This may include details on termination charges if you're still in contract, or info on how other bundled services you have with that supplier will be affected.
If you're happy to go ahead, your new provider will take care of the rest.
Some of this process already happens under the current rules. If you move between providers that use the Openreach network - if you move from Sky to BT, for example - then it should already happen fairly seamlessly.
But if you moved to or from a provider that uses different network infrastructure, like Virgin Media's cable network, then you would have to arrange the switchover date yourself. This is a major change, and will become even more important as the full fibre rollout continues across the country.
Faster switching and compensation
Ofcom research has shown that some 41% of users are put off switching by the perceived hassle involved. Around a quarter reported obstacles in moving when their old provider tried to convince them to stay.
The new process means that switching can happen much more quickly. If you're out of contract and moving between Openreach providers, it could take as little as a day.
If you're moving to or from cable or full fibre, you're likely to need an engineer to come and hook you up to the network. That will take longer, obviously, although your new supplier will take care of all the details for you.
Under the rules, providers will have to compensate you if something goes wrong during the switch and you're left without internet access for more than a day. Ofcom have also banned notice-period charges beyond the switch date - although you will still have to pay termination fees if you aren't out of contract.
Given the size of the changes required, ISPs have been given 18 months to implement them. They must all have the process in place by April 2023, but should start work on implementing it straight away.
Until then, moving between providers that use the same network is covered by a one-step switch process, so is already easier than you might realise. Also, remember that you may be able to exit your existing contract without penalty if you aren't getting the speeds you were promised. And you get a 14-day cooling off period when you switch providers. You don't need to stay with one if you aren't happy with what you're getting.
Are you ready to shop for a new ISP? Use our postcode checker to find the best broadband deals in your area today.
Ofcom's latest figures on broadband complaints are out - and it's bad news for Virgin Media. The company has rocketed to the top of the list as the major broadband supplier that gets the highest rate of complaints.
The report covers January to March this year, and counted the number of complaints made to Ofcom about providers with a market share of 1.5% or more.
It shows that Virgin Media generated 33 complaints per 100,000 customers, an increase of 20 in just a year. That puts them a long way ahead - or should that be behind - the next two worst performers, with Vodafone and TalkTalk both getting 24 complaints. Vodafone had been the worst ranking provider in six of the last seven quarters. Plusnet also generated complaint levels above the industry average.
And that's not the end of the bad news for Virgin Media. They also racked up the highest complaint levels for their landline service (19 per 100,000) and their pay TV service (17 per 100,000), and were second worst for mobile (5 per 100,000) behind Three.
The biggest reason why customers complained to Ofcom about Virgin Media was failings in the broadband provider's own complaints handling system - amounting to 39% in total. A third complained about faults and issues with the service, and a further 13% about billing problems.
Industry-wide, faults, service and provisioning issues accounted for 42% of reports, followed by complaints handling and billing.
Sky and EE were the least complained-about providers, generating just seven apiece. They've been in the top two positions for the last two years. The only other provider to beat the industry average was BT, with 15.
In good news for the industry overall, the average number of complaints has more than halved over the last decade, from 40 per 100,000 in the first quarter of 2011, to 19 now. The numbers are up from a record low of 10 in Q2 of last year, perhaps in part a consequence of pandemic disruption and the increasing importance of internet access for work, school and entertainment.
Broadband complaints per 100,000 customers
EE: 7
Sky: 7
BT: 15
Industry average: 19
Plusnet: 21
Vodafone: 24
TalkTalk: 24
Virgin Media: 33
In pay TV, Virgin Media generated 17 complaints against an industry average of 6. Sky performed best with just two. For landlines, Virgin had 19 complaints, eight more than the average, and EE and Sky tied as best performers with five each.
Mobile complaints were largely flat, and at much lower levels. Three performed worst with six complaints, while Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE had just one each.
Service reliability, billing, and complaint handling are important factors you should consider when choosing a new broadband provider. Our site contains thousands of customer ratings and reviews that can give you a true feel for how each provider performs. Currently, Zen top our list for customer satisfaction.
If you aren't happy with the service you're getting from your supplier, and you're coming to the end of your contract, it's easy to switch. Use our postcode checker to find the best broadband deal available in your area today.
The average Brit spends more than three and a half hours online every day and is consuming more data than ever, according to new research from Ofcom.
The 2021 edition of the watchdog's annual Communications Market Report highlights trends throughout the entire communications industry, and offers some fascinating insights into the state of UK broadband - and how we use it.
The main conclusion is that both speed and usage of broadband across the UK is continuing to grow rapidly, to the point where we spend longer online and use more data than ever.
Encouragingly, we're also pretty happy with the service we're getting. Let's take a closer look at some of the findings.
Broadband is getting faster
The report shows that the speed of internet connections available to us is growing fast. 78% of households can now get fibre broadband of 30Mb or more, compared to 69% 12 months earlier - or well under half just five years ago.
The average speed of our broadband connections has now topped 80Mb for the first time, an increase of 25%.
But while the number of broadband hotspots is on the rise, there are still a surprisingly high number of homes stuck in broadband not-spots. 8% of households are getting download speeds of just 10Mb or less.
Our data use has skyrocketed. Each household now consumes an average of 429GB of data a month, up by 36% compared to 2019. True, this figure may be somewhat lockdown-affected, but the increase is still the continuation of a long term trend that shows no sign of stopping. Back in 2013 we were averaging just 30GB a month!
In order to devour all this data the average UK internet user is spending three hours and 37 minutes online every day, and a staggering 39% of that time is spent within Google and Facebook-owned sites like YouTube and Instagram. In addition, 75% of households now own a smart TV, and half have a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo.
And yet despite the growing reliance on the internet for most of us, 6% of households are still not online at all.
The good news is that people are generally happy with the broadband service they're getting, with 79% saying they were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their provider. BT - including its other major brands EE and Plusnet - remains the largest broadband supplier in the UK, followed in turn by Sky, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk.
You can browse the full report's interactive data portal here.
Is your broadband service good enough to keep up with the soaring growth in internet use? You can bag yourself a great value upgrade by using our postcode checker to compare the best broadband deals available where you live right now.
While many of use are waiting patiently for the chance to install gigabit-capable broadband in our homes, for millions of others the picture is rather different.
As many as six out of ten people have little or no awareness of gigabit broadband, and of those that have, many don't know why it would benefit them.
Those are among the striking findings in a new study by GigaTAG, a body made up of Which?, the CBI and the Federation of Small Business, brought together by the government to come up with ideas to increase the take-up of faster internet.
They discovered numerous reasons preventing consumers and businesses alike from adopting gigabit broadband, and have produced a series of proposals to tackle each one.
Their research found that:
59% of people questioned have not heard - or have little understanding - of the term "gigabit-capable" broadband
47% felt they just didn't need faster or more reliable broadband
41% said they didn't know how gigabit-capable broadband was different to what they currently had
Half were not keen on paying extra, or were concerned about affordability in general
44% of those whose internet usage had gone up during the pandemic were interested in upgrading to something faster
The often complex and technical nature of the topic also served as an obstacle, especially for some vulnerable groups.
And there were also concerns about signing up to new, long-term contracts, and a reluctance to switch - with the process being seen as too much hassle. In fact, it's already a lot easier to switch providers than many people realise, if you're moving between providers that use the same network (such as Openreach, which provides the majority of broadband services in the UK). From December 2022, the process will become easier still, and enable fast and seamless switching to different networks including Virgin Media and the many full fibre providers.
How to increase adoption of gigabit-capable broadband
The government's aim is for at least 85% of the UK to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. Currently, around 37% of the UK can get it, which includes 21% who can receive full fibre. The rollout is set to accelerate over the next few years.
GigaTAG have come up with a number of recommendations to help improve the situation.
They suggest that common and consistent terminology should be used to describe the various broadband technologies. This could include a "gigabit-ready" mark, or perhaps even a traffic light system that shows how a broadband package's speed rates, like one that is currently used in Italy.
They recommend that a "gigabit toolkit" should be produced for use by local authorities to help explain the benefits of faster broadband, along with skills training for businesses. The government should also run an information campaign nationally when the time is right, they say.
And the affordability issue could be addressed through the possible introduction of an employer-led scheme to make gigabit-capable broadband cheaper, especially in the light of increased working from home. There should also be a targeted voucher scheme for lower income groups, like one that's already in place in countries like Greece and Italy.
In the meantime, if you're thinking of switching providers and want more information, you can give us a call or get us to call you at a more convenient time.
Or if you're keen to see if gigabit-capable broadband is available where you live, use our postcode checker and find the best deals available to you right now.
UK broadband is getting faster. The average download speeds broadband-using Brits are getting has risen by a quarter over the last year, while more than one in five of us can now access a full fibre connection.
Those are the big findings in new research from Ofcom, which also shows that gigabit-capable broadband is now available across well over a third of the country - and it has grown by nearly 40% in just three months.
The spring update to the industry watchdog's Connected Nations study has shown how rapidly the UK's ultrafast broadband infrastructure is developing.
As of January this year, nearly 11 million homes - some 37% - were able to access a gigabit-capable service. That's up from 7.9 million last September. This change was driven largely by a major upgrade to Virgin Media's cable network, which brought these faster speeds to an extra 2.8 million homes.
Full fibre coverage is now up to 21% - nearly six million homes - with the growth coming from the larger infrastructure operators such as the BT-owned Openreach, as well as smaller, more targeted local providers like Gigaclear and TrueSpeed.
The picture is also improving for people outside of these coverage areas. Ultrafast broadband, which Ofcom define as having download speeds above 300Mb, is now available to 17.7 million homes (61%), while 96% of the country is able to get an internet connection of at least 30Mb.
Access to full fibre
May 2020
September 2020
January 2021
UK
14%
18%
21%
England
13%
16%
19%
Northern Ireland
49%
56%
63%
Scotland
13%
17%
20%
Wales
15%
19%
21%
Access to gigabit-capable services
September 2020
January 2021
UK
27%
37%
England
25%
36%
Northern Ireland
56%
69%
Scotland
42%
44%
Wales
19%
28%
However, there are still some areas that are poorly served, with 650,000 homes unable to get a fixed line internet connection with download speeds of at least 10Mb. That's a little over two percent overall, with Northern Ireland having the highest proportion of underserved homes. Some of these homes may have access to alternative broadband services.
Access to 10Mb services
May 2020
September 2020
January 2021
UK
98%
98%
98%
England
99%
99%
99%
Northern Ireland
94%
94%
94%
Scotland
97%
97%
97%
Wales
97%
97%
97%
In separate research, Ofcom also found that the average download speed users of fixed home broadband were getting in November 2020 was 80Mb - a massive increase of 25% compared to the year before. Upload speeds - essential for gaming, video calling and working from home - fared even better, rising by over 50% to an average 21.6Mb. The changes were largely the result of increased availability of ultrafast broadband packages, and happened in spite of the lockdown that caused a massive spike in the amount of bandwidth we all used.
The Government's aim is to roll out gigabit-capable broadband nationwide over the next few years. BT recently confirmed their intention to invest £12 billion into the plan, while the Government also announced the first part of their spending to cover harder to reach rural areas.
Are you ready to upgrade to a faster internet service? Our postcode checker will show you if gigabit-capable broadband is available where you live. Just enter your details and we'll take care of the rest!
The rollout of full fibre broadband across the UK is set to be ramped up following a series of major new announcements. They form part of the Government's ambition to bring gigabit-capable broadband to the whole of the UK over the next few years.
This biggest announcement is from industry watchdog Ofcom. They've decided that they won't impose price caps on full fibre connections from Openreach, the BT-owned company that runs the bulk of the UK's broadband infrastructure.
While the prices they can charge to their customers - broadband suppliers like Sky and TalkTalk, as well as BT - have traditionally been capped (and often reduced) by Ofcom for slower fibre connections, there was a concern that doing so for the new fibre-to-the-home network would discourage investment. So they've decided to allow Openreach to set their own prices.
BT responded by confirming their commitment to invest £12 billion into the full fibre infrastructure, with a plan to bring faster broadband to 20 million homes by the end of the decade.
However, if Openreach can charge the broadband providers more for connections, some worry that those ISPs will have no choice but to pass on the costs to us, the users. And it is possible that full fibre will be more expensive, at least in the short term. Ofcom have introduced a number of measures to try and minimise the impact.
First, they will maintain price caps for the slower fibre connections with speeds up to 40Mb. This will ensure users can always access a cheaper option.
Second, they will allow Openreach to shut down the copper network in areas where full fibre has been installed so they don't have to maintain two networks simultaneously.
Third, providers will be given better access to Openreach's underground ducts and telegraph poles, to potentially half the cost of connecting new customers.
Fourth, Ofcom expect that around 70% of the UK will have a choice of full fibre networks, and they'll intervene if necessary to stop Openreach stifling investment from other companies, like Virgin Media, Hyperoptic and Gigaclear.
Full fibre for rural areas
While the BT investment will help to accelerate the rollout of full fibre broadband across the UK, it will only cover around three million homes in rural and more remote areas, where broadband infrastructure is already lacking. These hard to reach areas, which are not commercially viable, will be covered instead by public funding.
The Government pledged to spend £5 billion in the 2019 election campaign, and they've announced that the first £1.2 billion of this will be spent by 2024. The areas that will benefit from this money initially are Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Tees Valley. Work will get under way next year.
After that, the next regions in line are expected to be Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Shropshire, Suffolk and Worcestershire.
And on top of all that, the Government has also announced that they're revamping an existing voucher scheme that enables some households in rural areas to get subsidies to install full fibre broadband. Worth £210 million, it will be targeted at the most hard to reach areas, along with a further £110 million to help bring full fibre to GP surgeries, schools and libraries in the same sorts of areas.
As of the end of last year, 18% of the UK - around 5.1 million premises - had access to full fibre broadband, an increase from 10% a year earlier. The growth has seen the emergence of some new, regional broadband providers, like Community Fibre in London, or TrueSpeed in the South West, alongside the national players.
To see if you can get full fibre, or to compare the best broadband deals, use our postcode checker to see what's available where you live.
Christmas is going to be a bit different this year.
Even with the hope of relaxed restrictions, it's likely that for many of us, large family gatherings will be replaced by virtual get-togethers, and nights out at pubs and parties will be swapped for nights in with a boxset.
And what does this mean? Our internet connections are going to be more important than ever.
So why not treat yourself to an early Christmas present by upgrading to a fantastic new broadband deal? If your current contract is coming to an end - or maybe it ran out a while back and you haven't got round to sorting it yet - now is the perfect time to start shopping.
There's loads of festive offers on right now, and if you act quickly there's still time to get connected before the holiday season kicks off.
You can even sign up to a premium TV service, so you can catch the latest movies, the hottest new shows, and enjoy the Premier League's hectic Christmas schedule.
Sign up to Virgin Media by 9th December for guaranteed installation by Christmas. You can get both broadband and TV, and activation is free - saving you £35!
You can still get Sky TV bundles up and running in time for Christmas.
For other TV and broadband bundles, check out the latest deals from BT and TalkTalk - TalkTalk packages still come with the promise of no mid-contract price rises.
Plusnet have seasonal offers available until 16th December.
You can get NOW Broadband with a range of TV Passes, covering your choice of entertainment, movies and sports.
When choosing a new broadband deal, always make sure you pick the right speed for your household. Put simply, the more people in it, the faster you need. So while one person making a video call or watching Netflix can get away with a relatively low speed, a few people all doing the same together will need much faster.
And keep in mind any large downloads you need to make. For example, games for the Playstation 5 or new Xbox consoles typically start at around 50GB, and can be double that. To make things a little easier, schedule these downloads to happen overnight, so they're ready and waiting the following morning.
You'll have to hurry if you want to get your broadband set up in time for Christmas. Use our postcode checker to find the best broadband bargains available where you live right now.
Make sure you read the terms carefully when you take out a new broadband deal: there's a growing trend for some providers to sneak in new clauses promising significant mid-contract price rises.
The four BT Group brands - BT, EE, Plusnet and John Lewis - have now all announced new policies to allow bigger price hikes on their deals. They will see annual increases equal to the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate - plus an extra 3.9% on top.
Previously, ISPs would typically peg their rises to the CPI, or in some cases promise none at all.
Plusnet, for example, have effectively replaced their heralded fixed price guarantee with the guarantee of at least one - and potentially two - price rises over the course of a broadband deal.
BT, meanwhile, no longer offer contracts shorter than the two-year maximum that Ofcom allows. That means you'll be paying at least 7.95% more at the end of your deal than you were at the start.
Here's what they've announced:
BT and EE are using the CPI published every January. The price rises go into effect from 31st March each year, and apply to customers who signed up after 1st September 2020.
For the 2021 increase, Plusnet and John Lewis are using the CPI published in April and applying the increase from 1st June. After that, they're using the CPI published every January, and adding the increase to bills from 1st March. It affects customers who signed up from 7th October.
If you're on an older deal and still within your initial contract period you won't be affected by these changes until the time comes for you to renew. If you're out of contract you will be affected, although you should never stay on an out-of-contract deal for long.
So how much more will you be paying? For reference, the CPI rate for December 2019 was 1.3%, so that's the rate by which your price would have gone up on most deals. Under the new policy, that increase would have been a hefty 5.2%.
The Bank of England's target for the CPI is even higher at 2%. Of course, with the uncertainty that comes from the UK being in the middle of the biggest economic slump in 300 years, it's hard to predict what that rate will be in future. Needless to say, negative inflation won't result in a discount as that 3.9% will stay in place regardless.
What can you do?
Ofcom rules state that you can quit your contract without penalty if your broadband provider introduces "unexpected" mid-contract increases. But by announcing these plans, and writing them into your contract, they won't be classed as unexpected, so there's no escape.
What you can do instead is ensure you factor in the changes in your monthly charges when you're comparing broadband deals. And also keep in mind the date you sign up. If you take out one of these deals in February or March you'll be hit by an immediate price hike.
This move makes genuine fixed price guarantees more valuable than ever, especially if you're signing up for longer than 12 months. TalkTalk, italk and SSE are among the suppliers still offering them, so if you want clarity over what your bills will look like over the next couple of years they're worth checking out.
If you're ready to find a better deal on your broadband, use our postcode checker to see what's available in your area.
What are your broadband options like where you live?
If you live in places like Hull, Birmingham or Milton Keynes (or at least the right parts of these places), chances are you're pretty happy. But if you're in rural Scotland or Northern Ireland, or in the West Country, your internet coverage might be seriously lacking.
Comprehensive data released by industry watchdog Ofcom breaks down the level of broadband coverage in every area, and reveals massive differences across the UK.
It shows that while some parts have almost blanket full fibre coverage, others have a small but significant number of premises that cannot even get a 2Mb fixed-line connection.
Let's take a look at the numbers to find the best and worst places for broadband in the UK.
The best broadband coverage in the UK
Ofcom's data is split into multiple groups of varying sizes, from local authority right down to postcode level. It shows both the percentage and exact number of premises in each area that can access broadband of certain speeds. The data was collected in May this year.
Using the data for each parliamentary constituency - which splits the country in 650 regions - we can see that in 49 areas, 99% of premises have access to at least 30Mb broadband. In 30 areas, 90% of premises can get at least 300Mb broadband.
The 10 constituencies where the highest proportion of premises have access to superfast broadband (30Mb or over) and ultrafast broadband (300Mb or above) are:
Rank
Superfast availability (30-300Mb)
%
1
Gosport
99.8
2
Luton North
99.8
3
Glasgow North West
99.6
4
Gedling
99.6
5
Bootle
99.5
6
Leicester West
99.5
7
Nottingham North
99.5
8
Birmingham, Hodge Hill
99.5
9
Liverpool, West Derby
99.5
10
Swansea West
99.5
Rank
Ultrafast availability (over 300Mb)
%
1
Kingston upon Hull North
98.8
2
Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle
97.6
3
Kingston upon Hull East
97.4
4
Birmingham, Yardley
97.0
5
Birmingham, Hodge Hill
96.8
6
Bristol South
95.5
7
Luton North
94.8
8
Birmingham, Perry Barr
94.4
9
Worsley & Eccles South
94.1
10
Leeds North East
93.9
The figures for full fibre are inevitably a lot less impressive. In total there are 17 constituencies where two-thirds of premises can get gigabit broadband. Here's the top 10:
Rank
Full fibre availability
%
1
Kingston upon Hull North
98.8
2
Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle
97.6
3
Kingston upon Hull East
97.4
4
Coventry North West
78.0
5
Milton Keynes South
77.7
6
Wallasey
77.1
7
Birmingham, Yardley
76.1
8
Worsley & Eccles South
73.9
9
Belfast North
73.5
10
Haltemprice & Howden
72.5
It's no surprise that Hull comes out on top in these figures, since the city has a unique broadband setup. For historical reasons Hull has no BT presence at all - not even landlines - and there's just one broadband provider in the form of KCOM. The company has invested a large amount of money in the region's infrastructure.
The worst broadband coverage in the UK
It's not all good news. The data also highlights the areas where fixed line broadband coverage is woefully lacking. Never mind full fibre broadband, homes in some parts of the country don't have access to even a basic broadband service.
Nationwide, there are around 7500 postcodes where no premises at all can access faster than 2Mb broadband. Most of these are rural areas, and are found in all four countries of the UK. Some of these areas will be targeted under the Government's plan to fund investment in broadband over the next few years. These are the parts that are not financially viable enough for competition to drive the market on its own.
In addition, the Government's universal service obligation guarantees all properties should be able to get 10Mb broadband. If not, they will pay up to £3400 to upgrade the infrastructure and get it connected.
The constituencies with the highest proportion of properties unable to get 2Mb broadband are:
Rank
Unable to get 2Mb
%
1
West Tyrone
6.7
2
Fermanagh & South Tyrone
6.6
3
Penrith & The Border
4.0
4
South Down
3.6
5
Brecon & Radnorshire
3.6
6
Orkney & Shetland
3.6
7
Ross, Skye & Lochaber
3.5
8
Montgomeryshire
3.3
9
Argyll & Bute
3.2
10
Mid Ulster
3.1
On top this of this, there are many parts of the country that are under-served when it comes to faster broadband. Over a quarter of properties in some regions are unable to access 30Mb internet, while full fibre is essentially in non-existent in others.
Rank
Unable to get 30Mb
%
1
Orkney & Shetland
29.6
2
Fermanagh & South Tyrone
27.6
3
West Tyrone
23.5
4
Brecon & Radnorshire
22.9
5
Cities of London & Westminster
22.4
6
Mid Ulster
21.8
7
Central Devon
21.7
8
Ross, Skye & Lochaber
21.6
9
Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross
21.6
10
Carmarthen East & Dinefwr
20.5
Rank
Full fibre availability
%
1
Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport
0.1
2
Great Grimsby
0.2
3
Hazel Grove
0.3
4
Norwich South
0.3
5
Washington & Sunderland West
0.3
6
Rhondda
0.3
7
Blackpool North & Cleveleys
0.4
8
Hartlepool
0.5
9
Stourbridge
0.5
10
West Dunbartonshire
0.5
Of course, we do need to point out that some of these areas could possibly have access to high speed internet that's not been counted in these results, due to local initiatives from companies such as B4RN or Call Flow or wireless broadband services via a local mast. Many of these places are also able to get faster internet speeds with comparable prices and services to fixed-line broadband over the mobile network with 4G and 5G home routers from the bigger networks, like EE and Three.
Want to see how you measure up? Give our speed test a whirl to find out how fast your current broadband service is, then use our postcode checker to discover the best broadband deals in your area right now.
The drive to bring full fibre broadband to the whole country is continuing, with the service now available to over four million UK homes.
Data from the latest Ofcom Connected Nations report shows that more than 14% of homes across the country - some 4.2 million - now have the option to buy gigabit-capable broadband. That's an increase of 2% since the start of the year, and 4% from a year ago.
This growth, along with the continued expansion of Virgin Media's cable network, means that 57% of the country now has access to "ultrafast" broadband, which can deliver speeds of 300Mb or more.
The picture is not consistent across the four nations of the UK, however. While 59% of homes in England can get ultrafast broadband, the same level of service is only available to 34% in Wales. Around 95% of the UK can access superfast broadband, with speeds over 30Mb. This is unchanged over the last year.
The figures break down like this:
Access to full fibre broadband
Sept 2019
Jan 2020
Sept 2020
UK
10%
12%
14%
England
10%
11%
13%
Northern Ireland
31%
41%
49%
Scotland
8%
10%
13%
Wales
12%
13%
15%
Access to ultrafast broadband
Sept 2019
Jan 2020
Sept 2020
UK
53%
55%
57%
England
55%
58%
59%
Northern Ireland
49%
52%
57%
Scotland
45%
48%
50%
Wales
31%
33%
34%
While there have been big improvements in the availability of the fastest broadband services, there are still considerable areas where the broadband options are very poor. As it stands, 2% of UK homes don't have access to even 10Mb internet (and in some cases it will be a lot lower than that). This figure reaches 6% in Northern Ireland.
Unable to access 10Mb broadband
Sept 2019
Jan 2020
Sept 2020
UK
2%
2%
2%
England
2%
2%
2%
Northern Ireland
6%
6%
6%
Scotland
4%
3%
3%
Wales
3%
4%
3%
The good news is that these regions are likely to be eligible for the government's new universal service obligation (USO). Launched in March, this aims to ensure that everyone will be able to access internet with speeds of at least 10Mb.
This doesn't come in the form of an automatic upgrade. Instead, customers can make a request to BT to see if they're eligible. If they are, and the cost of upgrading the network comes to £3400 or less, then it will happen without them needing to pay anything. If the cost comes to over £3400, then the customer will have to pay the excess if they want the work to go ahead. It isn't a quick process, though. The work should be complete within 12 months, but could take as long as two years.
If you're in a remote area with poor broadband coverage, take a look at our rural broadband guide to see what your options are.
To see if full fibre or ultrafast broadband are available where you live, use our postcode checker to see what services you can upgrade to.
