17 million UK homes have access to full fibre
DECEMBER 19, 2023 12.22 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

57% of UK homes now have access to full fibre, a 15 percentage point increase on 2022.

According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report published today, a record 17 million UK homes have access to full-fibre broadband, with 4.6 million now taking it up.

Full fibre broadband is defined as using fibre all the way to the home and is more reliable and resilient than copper. Ofcom says its research shows that some providers experience fewer faults on their fibre network compared with a copper-based network.

Overall, 28% of homes and businesses that can access full-fibre have taken it up, with 4.6 million premises now connected. Take-up in rural areas is nearly double that of urban homes representing 49% against 25%.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s Network and Communications Group Director said: “There’s been a further reduction in the number of homes and businesses unable to access ‘decent’ broadband in the last year, decreasing by over a quarter (27%) to 61,000 premises. We estimate that around 11,000 of these will be connected via publicly funded schemes by next year, showing more progress to come as the nation becomes increasingly connected.”

More homes are taking up satellite broadband, with around 42,000 UK customers connected to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service, up from 13,000 last year, the majority in rural areas.