Welcome to the sixth edition of our State of Broadband Report, providing unique insight and the latest statistics on UK broadband rollout.
LATEST DATA—Full Fibre Broadband reaching 80% of premises in September 2025
The big news is that as of the date we are publishing this report (24 September 2025), our statistics are reporting that the UK has reached 80% coverage for full fibre broadband. This is a major achievement in terms of rolling out new infrastructure across the country from cities to rural areas by companies across the industry. Gigabit coverage has now reached 88.8%.
The figures in this report reflect availability data on 8 August 2025, and comparisons are to the March 2025 report (unless otherwise stated).
Summary
Key Stats – Full Fibre (FTTP) is now available to over 80% of premises, (Sep 2025; up from 75% in Mar 2025) across the UK, with Openreach leading the way at 58% (up from 52%) and Gigabit being available to 88.8% of premises (Sep 2025). Altnets are available to 4 in 10 premises (43.3% up from 40.3%; Aug 2025).
Again, full fibre coverage has increased by ~6% since our last report in March 2025, and Gigabit coverage has lagged behind with a smaller increase of ~1.8% due to overbuilding by Openreach and the alt-nets of Virgin Media’s DOCSIS 3.1 network which already delivers Gigabit services, plus some full fibre alt-nets are overbuilding each other.
As usual, we include updates on the State of the Nations of the United Kingdom, both looking at Gigabit Broadband and Full Fibre coverage. We will also provide updates on the Altnets, the UK Full Fibre infrastructure builders powering to compete against Openreach.
Postcode Subscriptions Feature on thinkbroadband
Please visit labs.thinkbroadband.com/local for the most up-to-date data for your area. We also now have address-level data in our broadband maps including Project Gigabit OMR Status and Project Gigabit Contract Status. You can find this in our interactive UK Broadband Map.
Postcode Subscriptions — We have recently launched a new feature which lets you subscribe to be notified about any broadband availability changes to your postcode. As with our consumer tools, this is provided free-of-charge. You can read more about this feature.
We expect to be releasing our next report in Spring 2026.
Sebastien Lahtinen Director, thinkbroadband.com
State of the Nations
(As of 08/08/2025)
Current UK FTTP (“full fibre”) coverage:
79.3%
(vs 75.1% Mar 2025)
FTTP 85% Projection
Mar 2026 (Delay from Jan 2026)
FTTP 95% Projection
Apr 2027 (delay from Dec 2026)
Current UK Gigabit Coverage:
88.4%
(vs 86.6% Mar 2025) – includes DOCSIS 3.1 cable
Data: Aug 2025; includes households and business premises. We refer to the ‘projection’ to meet various targets (e.g. FTTP 85%) rather than ‘prediction’ as this reflects where the date will be if the trend of the previous period continues. As progress continues towards 100%, it is likely to slow down as we see harder-to-reach areas being added.
UK Nations
Nation
Superfast (30Mbps+)
Full Fibre
Gigabit
85% FTTP Projection
95% FTTP Projection
Altnet FTTP
Multiple FTTP
England
98.5%
79.5%
89.0%
Mar 2026
Mar 2027
45.7% (+3.2%)
33.0%
Wales
97.7%
79.3%
82.3%
Feb 2026
Feb 2027
18.8% (+1.8%)
21.7%
Scotland
97.2%
71.7%
82.8%
Dec 2026
Dec 2027
34.6% (+2.0%)
27.0%
Northern Ireland
98.8%
96.5%
96.9%
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
48.7%
Notes: For this purpose, altnets means networks other than Openreach, KCom (Hull), Virgin Media RFOG and Nexfibre. Multiple FTTP includes RFOG.
English Regions Breakdown
Authority Name
Superfast (30Mbps +)
Full Fibre (“FTTP”)
Gigabit
85% FTTP Projection
95% FTTP Projection
Altnet FTTP
Multiple FTTP
South East
98.3%
74.5%
85.8%
Jun 2026
May 2027
46.1%
27.4%
London
98.7%
76.7%
92.4%
Mar 2027
Oct 2028
54.8%
35.2%
North West
98.8%
86.6%
92.1%
Achieved
Feb 2026
40.5%
37.2%
East of England
98.6%
76.0%
86.5%
Mar 2026
Dec 2026
42.3%
29.8%
South West
97.8%
73.5%
81.1%
Sep 2026
Sep 2027
38.2%
21.5%
West Midlands
98.9%
81.4%
91.2%
Dec 2025
Apr 2026
47.2%
33.9%
Yorkshire & The Humber
98.6%
89.5%
92.7%
Achieved
Jan 2026
52.8%
47.6%
East Midlands
98.5%
82.1%
89.8%
Nov 2025
Apr 2026
44.6%
33.0%
North East
98.4%
76.5%
90.7%
Feb 2026
Oct 2026
39.4%
32.9%
More broadband data by Local Authority, Constituency, Borough, Council and various other groupings can be viewed on our Broadband Data site
We also include layers for individual altnets as well as altnet coverage across the UK.
Progress Towards Government Targets
Progress towards 85% Gigabit and 85% FTTP targets
Source: labs.thinkbroadband.com; theoretical prediction is based on performance in the past 9 months.
Show accessible data
UK (whole)
Jul 2023 Projection
85% Gigabit
Sep 2024
85% FTTP
Aug 2025
Jan 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Oct 2024
85% FTTP
Sep 2025
Jul 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Sep 2024
85% FTTP
Sep 2025
Feb 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Achieved Oct 2024
85% FTTP
Jan 2026
Aug 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Achieved Oct 2024
85% FTTP
Mar 2026
England
Jul 2023 Projection
85% Gigabit
Aug 2024
85% FTTP
Aug 2025
Jan 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Aug 2024
85% FTTP
Sep 2025
Jul 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Aug 2024
85% FTTP
Aug 2025
Feb 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Achieved Aug 2024
85% FTTP
Dec 2025
Aug 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Achieved Aug 2024
85% FTTP
Mar 2026
Scotland
Jul 2023 Projection
85% Gigabit
Nov 2025
85% FTTP
May 2026
Jan 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Sep 2025
85% FTTP
Jul 2026
Jul 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
May 2025
85% FTTP
Mar 2026
Feb 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Apr 2026
85% FTTP
Mar 2027
Aug 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Feb 2026
85% FTTP
Dec 2026
Wales
Jul 2023 Projection
85% Gigabit
Apr 2025
85% FTTP
Apr 2025
Jan 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Jul 2025
85% FTTP
Jul 2025
Jul 2024 Projection
85% Gigabit
Oct 2025
85% FTTP
Dec 2025
Feb 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Oct 2025
85% FTTP
Dec 2025
Aug 2025 Projection
85% Gigabit
Dec 2025
85% FTTP
Feb 2026
Northern Ireland
85% Gigabit
Achieved May 2022
85% FTTP
Achieved Jul 2022
Largest Full-Fibre Networks
The UK has many alternative network operators (altnets), and competitors to the incumbent networks (Openreach and KCom in Hull). Despite being smaller in size, these altnets play a vital role where incumbent FTTP services are not available, providing an alternative commercial proposition, which can often be superior to the consumer. Despite being less known, these smaller networks are an essential part of the UK’s broadband infrastructure and provide a critical lifeline for local communities desperate for fast broadband.
Largest Full Fibre Networks (Source: labs.thinkbroadband.com/local) — August 2025
Total FTTP UK Premises:
26.2m
FTTP coverage of UK Premises:
79%
Total UK Premises:
33.0m
Show accessible data
Network
Premises
Coverage
Openreach FTTP
19.2m
58%
CityFibre (all areas)
4.3m
13%
Netomnia/YouFibre/Brsk
2.6m
8%
Nexfibre XGS-PON
1.8m
6%
Virgin Media RFOG*
1.7m
5%
Community Fibre
1.5m
4%
Hyperoptic
1.3m
4%
Gigaclear
624.2k
2%
Full Fibre / Zzoomm
600.2k
2%
Trooli
444.0k
1%
Fibrus
426.0k
1%
AllPoints Fibre
299.4k
1%
FW Networks
294.1k
1%
KCom LightStream
287.8k
1%
Toob
256.5k
1%
G.Network
255.1k
1%
Grain Connect
244.4k
1%
Source: labs.thinkbroadband.com. Note: This refers to ‘full fibre’ (FTTP) networks and not gigabit-capable networks. As such the current Virgin Media DOCSIS 3.1 footprint (capable of delivering gigabit broadband) is not included. We are seeing Virgin Media progressively upgrade its old coax network to XGS-PON under Project Mustang. Once both new and existing customers see coax removed from the home and full fibre installed, we will start to show the Project Mustang figures. Data is based on our database which tracks ‘available to order and deliver within a standard order timeframe’ (usually a couple of weeks). If a site requires additional wayleaves, this would not be considered live. Our criteria for inclusion is strict and therefore may not match information claimed by operators in press releases or financial results, however the methodology we use is consistent.
Relative Market Share of the Big Retail Providers
Q4 2023
Q4 2024
Q1/2025
Q1/2025 Market Share
BT Group
9.0m
8.9m
8.9m
31%
Sky
5.7m
5.8m
5.8m
20%
VMO2
5.7m
5.7m
5.7m
20%
TalkTalk
3.7m
3.3m
3.1m
11%
Vodafone
1.3m
1.5m
1.6m
6%
Altnets
1.9m
2.5m
2.8m
10%
Other Providers
1.2m
1.3m
1.2m
4%
Total Retail Connections including all ISPs (e.g. KCOM, ‘Others’, etc.)
28.9m
29.0m
28.9m
Source: Point-Topic UK Plus Data Set. These figures include estimates as not all providers publish information in a consistent manner. Only ‘consumer’ fixed broadband (excluding fixed wireless access) services are included. We note that BT Business has a significant lead in the business segment. The historical figures are re-stated due to adjustments in data collection; BT Group have begun publishing Consumer connections from Q1/2024 so historical figures are adjusted to reflect net adds/losses by BT.
Average Consumer Fibre Pricing
We track average broadband prices by speed category for major providers to provide market guidance. There are always offers available as well as a wider selection of broadband providers, so these prices are only guidelines and not intended to be used for selecting a provider.
50-80 Mbps
£27
(£25-27 before)
150 Mbps
£24-29
(£24-36 before)
500 Mbps
£26-35
(£33-46 before)
1 Gbps
£32-38
(£37-43 before)
Most fibre-based services require a 12 to 24 month contract. Above prices are based on 18-24 month contracts.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be aware that big providers often have offers on which can include cashback and special promotions for a short period not included below.
Category
Package
Download Speed
Upload Speed
Contract
Cost / month
50-80 Mbps
Sky Superfast
61 Mbps
20 Mbps
24 months
£27 £25
Sky Full Fibre 75
75 Mbps
19 Mbps
24 months
£27 £25
TalkTalk Full Fibre 65
77 Mbps
20 Mbps
24 months
£27
Virgin Media M50
54 Mbps
5 Mbps
1 month
£48 + £80 setup
BT Fibre 1
50 Mbps
10 Mbps
24 months
£28
BT Fibre 1
50 Mbps
10 Mbps
12 months
£35 £40
BT Full Fibre 2
74 Mbps
20 Mbps
24 months
£31 £27
BT Full Fibre 1
50 Mbps
10 Mbps
24 months
£30
150 Mbps
Virgin Media M125
132 Mbps
20 Mbps
24 months
£24 £26
Sky Full Fibre 150
150 Mbps
28 Mbps
24 months
£25 £27
BT Full Fibre 150
150 Mbps
30 Mbps
24 months
£29 £30
TalkTalk Full Fibre 150
152 Mbps
30 Mbps
24 months
£26 £28
Virgin Media M125
132 Mbps
20 Mbps
1 month
£54 + £80 setup
BT Full Fibre 150
150 Mbps
30 Mbps
12 months
£38 £36
500 Mbps
Sky Full Fibre 500
500 Mbps
60 Mbps
24 months
£31 £33
TalkTalk Full Fibre 500
525 Mbps
72 Mbps
24 months
£35
Virgin Media M500
516 Mbps
52 Mbps
24 months
£26 £34
BT Full Fibre 500
500 Mbps
73 Mbps
24 months
£35
BT Full Fibre 500
500 Mbps
73 Mbps
12 months
£40 £46
1 Gbps
TalkTalk Full Fibre 900
944 Mbps
110 Mbps
24 months
£38 £42
Sky Full Fibre Gigafast
930 Mbps
100 Mbps
24 months
£36 £43
BT Full Fibre 900
900 Mbps
110 Mbps
24 months
£38 £39
Virgin Media Gig1
1,130 Mbps
104 Mbps
24 months
£32 £37
BT Full Fibre 900
900 Mbps
110 Mbps
12 months
£45.99 £54.99
Methodology: Comparisons on 28/08/2025 based on provider websites for comparable products, noting that variations apply. We have not included promotions which include an initial period at a lower price, unless this is substantially less over contract length as purpose of this report is to outline broad prices rather than recommend individual services. No bundling of other services (telephone, TV, mobile) is included. Pricing for services is likely to increase mid-contract in most cases annually, around April by £3 to £4 on average. Where speed ranges are quoted, we will use the marketed average figure or a mid-point rounded figure, so caution advised on minor variations (e.g. 74 vs 78 Mbps) as these are likely to be on the same underlying technology. This simplification has been provided for ease of comparison. Pricing may vary by location however our lookup is based on the same address on what we believe indicates the market for full fibre services. Pricing is rounded up to the nearest pound where it is close. Virgin Media 30-day rolling contract is not available in all areas.
Do not use this table to select a provider for your personal circumstances – This list is provided as a guide to understanding market pricing only. Please visit thinkbroadband.com and compare deals specific to your location and requirements.
Altnet Pricing
The UK has many ‘altnets’, or so called ‘alternative network operators’ which typically refers to challengers to the incumbent (BT Openreach and Virgin Media nationally). They often offer faster services at lower prices, so we have included a separate table of prices to track.
Category
Package
Download Speed
Upload Speed
Contract
Cost / month
100 – 150 Mbps
Community Fibre 100
100 Mbps
100 Mbps
24 months
£19
Community Fibre 100
100 Mbps
100 Mbps
12 months
£25
Hyperoptic Superfast
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
24 months
£19 £29
Hyperoptic Superfast
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
12 months
£25 £33
Hyperoptic Superfast
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
1 month
£45
YouFibre 150
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
18 months
£24
YouFibre 150
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
1 month
£34
Vodafone Full Fibre 150 (CityFibre)
150 Mbps
150 Mbps
24 months
£23 £25
300 – 500 Mbps
Community Fibre 300
350 Mbps
350 Mbps
24 months
£21
Community Fibre 300
350 Mbps
350 Mbps
12 months
£28
Hyperoptic Ultrafast
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
24 months
£23 £34
Hyperoptic Ultrafast
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
12 months
£29 £39
Hyperoptic Ultrafast
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
1 month
£34 £53
YouFibre 500
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
18 months
£31 £29
YouFibre 500
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
1 month
£41 £39
Gigaclear Ultrafast 400
400 Mbps
400 Mbps
18 months
£20 £22
Gigaclear Ultrafast 500
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
18 months
£26
G.Network Ultrafast
300 Mbps
100 Mbps
24 months
£24 £22
G.Network Ultrafast
300 Mbps
100 Mbps
12 months
£30 £28
G.Network Ultrafast
300 Mbps
100 Mbps
1 month
£36 £34
Vodafone Full Fibre 500 (CityFibre)
500 Mbps
500 Mbps
24 months
£27 £31
1 Gbps
Community Fibre 1Gbps
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
24 months
£25
Community Fibre 1Gbps
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
12 months
£32
Hyperoptic Hyperfast
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
24 months
£25 £39
Hyperoptic Hyperfast
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
12 months
£31 £44
Hyperoptic Hyperfast
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
1 month
£36 £63
YouFibre 1000
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
18 months
£34 £32
YouFibre 1000
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
1 month
£44 £42
Gigaclear Hyperfast 900
900 Mbps
900 Mbps
18 months
£49 £34
B4RN Residential
1 Gbps
1 Gbps
12 months
£33
G.Network Gigafast
1 Gbps
300 Mbps
24 months
£30 £28
G.Network Gigafast
1 Gbps
300 Mbps
12 months
£36 £34
G.Network Gigafast
1 Gbps
300 Mbps
1 month
£42 £40
Vodafone Full Fibre 900 (CityFibre)
910 Mbps
910 Mbps
24 months
£27 £29
3Gbps+
Community Fibre 2.5Gbps
2.5 Gbps
2.5 Gbps
24 months
£39
YouFibre 8000
7 Gbps
7 Gbps
18 months
£100
YouFibre 8000
7 Gbps
7 Gbps
1 month
£130
B4RN 10Gbps
10 Gbps
10 Gbps
12 months
£150 + £360 setup
Date Collected: 28/08/2025. Methodology- see previous section. Do not use this table to select a provider for your personal circumstances – This list is provided as a guide to understanding market pricing only. Please visit thinkbroadband.com and compare deals specific to your location and requirements.
Fibre Overbuild
When a network operator builds in an area already covered by another network, this is known as ‘overbuild’. An operator may choose to do this if they want to compete, and competition/diversity can be good for consumers and businesses alike, however it makes it a more challenging investment for investors in altnets who need to see a return on the capital they inject. It can therefore also be inefficient and frustrating for those without access to even a single full fibre network.
In this report we include the overbuild statistics by UK Nations and Regions. These show interestingly that Northern Ireland is leading the way with 40% of premises covered by two full fibre networks (via a mixture of Fibrus, Openreach, Virgin Media RFOG, nexfibre and YouFibre) and 8% covered by three. However, we are also seeing quite high rates for Yorkshire and the Humber (which itself has great full-fibre coverage).
Show accessible data
Premises with 1 or more FTTP network
79% (+4%)
Premises with 2 or more FTTP networks
27% (+3%)
Premises with 3 or more FTTP networks
5% (+1%)
Premises with 4 or more FTTP networks
0.5% (+0.2%)
Premises with 5 or more FTTP networks
0% (around 17,000 premises)
Overbuild by Nation
Nation
1+ FTTP Network
2+ FTTP Networks
3+ FTTP Networks
4+ FTTP Networks
5+ FTTP Networks
England
79%
27%
5%
1%
0%
Wales
79%
18%
4%
0%
0%
Scotland
72%
24%
3%
0%
0%
Northern Ireland
96%
40%
8%
0%
0%
UK Total
79%
27%
5%
0%
0%
Overbuild by English Region
Nation
1+ FTTP Network
2+ FTTP Networks
3+ FTTP Networks
4+ FTTP Networks
5+ FTTP Networks
South East
71%
20%
3%
1%
0%
London
73%
28%
3%
0%
0%
North West
81%
25%
3%
0%
0%
East of England
72%
20%
5%
1%
0%
South West
70%
16%
3%
0%
0%
West Midlands
76%
24%
4%
0%
0%
Yorkshire and The Humber
86%
34%
7%
0%
0%
East Midlands
78%
24%
3%
0%
0%
North East
71%
23%
5%
0%
0%
Fibre Overbuild by Provider
Overbuild by Network
Source: thinkbroadband.com availability database (https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local) on 08/08/2025
BRSK and Youfibre coverage is now combined as Netomnia. Due to CityFibre’s acquisition of Lit Fibre there is an overlap in CityFibre coverage with Lit Fibre
Show accessible data
The accessible version of this matrix shows the list of providers, and for each one groups which providers are overbuilding that provider in the following categories: –
A — Over 50%
B — 20 to 49%
C — 10 to 19%
D — 1 to 9%
Any other entries are under 1% and omitted for brevity.
AllPoints Fibre
A — Openreach FTTP
B — Virgin Gig1
C — Gigaclear, Nexfibre
D — Full Fibre/Zoom, F&W Networks, Lightspeed, Trooli, Virgin RFOG/FGTTP
CityFibre
A — Openreach FTTP, Virgin Gig1
D — Grain Connect, Hyperoptic, Lit Fibre, NexFibre, Virgin RFOG/FTTP
Community Fibre
A — Openreach FTTP, Virgin Gig1
C — Hyperoptic
D — F&W Networks, G.Network, Nexfibre, Virgin RFOG/FTTP
D — Community Fibre, FullFibre Ltd/Zzoomm, F&W Networks, G.Network, Grain Connect, Hyperoptic, ITS, Lightspeed, Lit Fibre, Toob, Virgin RFOG/FTTP
Virgin RFOG/FTTP
A — Openreach
C — CityFibre, Netomnia/YouFibre/BRSK
D — AllPointsFibre, Community Fibre, FullFibre Ltd/Zzoomm, F&W Networks, Grain Connect, Hyperoptic, ITS,
Altnets – The Financial Backers
Major investors in UK broadband alt-nets include private equity firms, infrastructure funds, and strategic investors recognising the growth potential in the sector. Investment into networks is often debt funding, which means an increase in interest rates has increased the debt repayments, limiting funding available to network operators. This means it is quite likely that acquisitions/mergers will be a significant tool for growth for network operators rather than cash purchases or greenfield build projects, at least in some cases. The backers below may reflect equity investors, debt financing and other management.
Company
Footprint
Backers (equity)
Debt (publicly disclosed)
CityFibre
4.3m
Antin Infrastructure Partners; West Street Infrastructure Partners (Goldman Sachs); Mubadala Investment Company; Interogo Holding
Note: UKIB rebranded as the National Wealth Fund in October 2024
Retail ISPs to wholesale and alt-net mapping
The alt-net landscape is varied in how they operate, with some providers choosing to be vertically integrated, controlling the whole product from build to retail service, whilst others are opting to provide only a wholesale service and allow a variety of ISPs to retail the products available. We have created a mapping showing where some of the larger ISPs link in to the different wholesale networks and alt-nets.
Show accessible data
Retail ISP
Wholesale Network(s) Used
BT
Openreach
EE
Openreach
Sky
Openreach; CityFibre; OFNL
Virgin Media (VMO2)
Virgin Media; Nexfibre
TalkTalk
Openreach; CityFibre; Freedom Fibre
Vodafone
Openreach; CityFibre; Community Fibre (London)
Plusnet
Openreach
NOW Broadband
Openreach
Utility Warehouse
PXC, providing Openreach; CityFibre; Community Fibre; Freedom Fibre
Many people are led to believe that the latest, fastest – and often most expensive – broadband package must be the best choice. In reality, most households would be surprised to learn they’re paying for speeds they never use. By taking a moment to understand your actual broadband needs, you can find a service that’s just as reliable, without spending more than necessary.
Check what you really need
You might be surprised at how modest your broadband requirements actually are. If you mostly browse the web, email, watch the occasional TV show, or keep in touch with family, you may not need the top speeds advertised.
Try our broadband speed calculator to work out what’s right for you: thinkbroadband.com/calculator. If you don’t feel confident using it, ask a family member, neighbour, or friend to help.
Review your contract
It’s worth checking when your contract ends and what you’re currently paying for. Contact your provider to see if there’s a cheaper plan that matches your actual usage. If you’re still within a minimum term, some other providers may cover part or all of your exit fees, which can make switching more affordable.
Look for discounts and social tariffs
Around 4 million UK households are missing out on cheaper broadband contracts designed for people on certain benefits – these are called social tariffs. If you receive certain benefits (including Pension Credit or Universal Credit), ask your provider. They can be much more affordable (typical savings are ~£200 a year), yet many providers don’t actively promote them, and you may need to ask explicitly.
Check if you’re eligible on your provider’s website
Ask directly about any available social tariff before signing or renewing a contract
Many providers only offer basic broadband speeds on social tariffs – generally in the region of 30-100Mbps but this will be fine for many purposes (check our broadband calculator)
Consider AltNets (alternative networks)
In many UK locations, smaller fibre providers offer competitive prices, fixed-price contracts and (often) no mid-contract rises. Check availability in your postcode and compare total costs, contract length and any exit-fee credit.
Don’t be afraid to switch
Even if you’re in a contract, some providers will help you switch by offering credits or paying off your existing deal. Switching can mean:
Lower monthly costs
Better customer service
Avoiding mid-contract price rises with a longer fixed-term deal
Run the calculator and note your target speed.
Check your existing contract to find the speed you’re currently getting and your contract’s minimum term, or ask a relative to help.
Call your provider and ask for a plan that matches your needs, along with some of their cheapest broadband offers.
If on UC or Pensions Credits, ask about social tariffs.
If you have a relative who can help you shop around, consider exploring alternative network providers and any “switching credit / we’ll pay your exit fees” offers.
Broadband & Scam-Smart: Stay Safe
Stay Safe
How to avoid being scammed
Fraud works because fraudsters know what makes us tick. By exploiting our most basic human emotions, whether that be fear, excitement, greed or even love, scammers can empty the bank accounts of the most savvy among us. We know of CEOs, lawyers, doctors, detectives — even one head of fraud at a bank — who have been the victim of a fraudster.
Being cautious, taking your time, and carrying out a few simple checks can help you avoid losing money or personal information.
Top scams older people are most targeted by (and what to do)
1. Tech support or broadband provider impersonation
Fraudsters pretend to be from your internet provider (such as Sky, BT, Virgin/O2), Openreach, or a well-known company such as Microsoft. They may claim there’s a fault or security problem and ask you to install software or share codes.
What to do: Hang up, then contact your provider using the number on your bill or their official website. Never install software from an unexpected call or email.
2. Phishing emails and texts
Messages claiming to be from a bank, delivery company, HMRC, or TV Licensing that contain a link or attachment.
What to do: Do not click the link. Go directly to the organisation’s official website or app.
It’s important to note that it isn’t just money that fraudsters want from us. Our personal details often hold even greater value than what they can get out of our bank accounts.
3. Subscription renewal scams
You may receive an email or phone call saying your subscription to a service like Amazon Prime is about to renew, asking you to “cancel” by clicking a link or calling a number.
What to do: Check your account directly via the official app or website.
4. Refund or compensation scams
Unexpected messages offering a refund or compensation for energy, broadband, or tax, asking you to fill in forms or provide payment details.
What to do: Treat all unexpected refunds as suspicious until confirmed with the organisation directly.
5. Number spoofing and “courier” bank scams
Scammers can fake caller ID to appear genuine, then claim your money or account is at risk. They may ask you to transfer money or hand your card to a courier.
What to do: Banks and police will never ask you to do this. Hang up, wait five minutes or use a different phone to call your bank using the number on your bank card.
Stop
Do not make a payment, give out codes, or allow remote access to your device.
Check
Contact the company using trusted contact details.
Report
In the UK, report scams to Action Fraud, and contact your bank immediately if you have shared financial information.
Scammers change their tactics all the time, but the warning signs are often the same. Being cautious, taking your time, and carrying out simple checks can help you avoid losing money or personal information.
The S-C-A-M check
Keep this simple four-step reminder somewhere visible, such as next to your phone or on the fridge. If any of these apply, stop and think before you act.
Actual usage may be less but more likely to be affected by other usage during call
Online Gaming (real-time multiplayer)
Varies by game. This will vary a lot and it’s less about the raw speed for the game but about avoiding latency/jitter associated with saturating the line if you’re doing more than one thing or your household has multiple users.
Fortnite: “Gigabit fibre with [..] symmetrical upload and download speeds absolutely smashes those requirements out of the arena”
Twitch Streaming / Broadcasting
3-10 Mbps
20 Mbps
Some recommendations increase upload speed to 25Mbps
Web Browsing, E-mail & Social Media
1 Mbps
5 Mbps
Once connection is above 40Mbps, unlikely to see much improvement as DNS lookups likely to be more of a factor than raw speed
Downloading Games and Large Content
–
100 Mbps
100 Mbps or faster is ideal but balance cost vs patience
Larger Households
For real-time simultaneous use, you need to multiply the above. E.g. two people watching Netflix at 4K might need up to 40Mbps; a third is probably not going to be watching at the same time.
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines which means broadband through your phone line. The speed is determined by the distance between your property and the telephone exchange (usually up to a few kilometres) and the quality of your line. Asymmetric means the download speed is usually much faster than the upload speed, common in all consumer broadband. There are variants such as ‘Annex M’ which allow you to sacrifice some download speed for faster uploads. These were typically ‘up to 8 meg’ or ‘up to 24 meg’ type services depending on generation but speeds vary wildly based on the quality and length of the line.
“FTTC” or “VDSL2” or commonly called “fibre broadband” (actually “part fibre”)
Broadband where the fibre optic cable ends at the street cabinet, which is likely to be some distance from your house. A phone line is then used for the final link to your house, similar to ADSL. VDSL is the underlying technology, “Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line” which allows faster speeds than ADSL, but it is more limited by distance – a few hundred metres rather than kilometres.
“FTTP”, “FTTH”, “FTTB” or “full fibre”
Fibre to the premises/home/building. i.e. the entire circuit to the property is fibre. There may in some cases be copper wiring inside the building depending on the setup. The speed is usually not limited by the distance where you can get FTTP as this is delivered over a fibre optic wavelength.
“FTTx”
Combination of the ‘fibre to the…’ services, i.e. fibre to the home and fibre to the cabinet.
Cable & DOCSIS 3.1
Cable broadband (typically meaning Virgin Media) is broadband delivered through the copper co-axial network (in most cases; RFOG- excepted) used to deliver cable TV services. This has traditionally been capable of delivering faster speeds than phone line based services. The latest generation, DOCSIS 3.1, can deliver gigabit broadband services.
Satellite
Satellite broadband uses geostationary satellites in space to deliver broadband to hard-to-reach areas. Aside from cost the main disadvantage is latency, which makes satellite broadband services slower to use for very ‘interactive’ applications, such as online gaming. Starlink claims to reduce this significantly. If you’re in an area with limited options, this may be worth considering however.
3G / LTE / 4G / 5G (mobile broadband)
These are mobile technologies, evolutions beyond GPRS (2G) and EDGE (2.5G) which were the first types of data used by mobile phones and offered much slower speeds. The later generations like 5G can deliver very fast connections, although the performance varies significantly based on where you are. Using a fixed 4G/5G setup can take advantage of a fixed antenna which will perform better. The difficulty lies when in a congested city environment using a mobile phone, where it’s quite possible for a 5G service to perform slower than a 4G one, so newer isn’t always better (in the real world).
Fixed Wireless
Some broadband providers use wireless technologies such as directional Wi-Fi and microwave links to deliver broadband, often across wide open rural areas, where laying cables could be prohibitively expensive.
Glossary
“meg” or Mbps
The speed of broadband services is these days measured in Megabits per second (or Mbps). It is commonly referred to (albeit technically incorrectly) as “meg”. 1 Mbps is broadly speaking 1,000Kbps, and 1Gbps (gigabit per second) is around 1,000 Mbps (technically it’s a multiplier of 1024 from binary, rather than 1000). Note in particular that a Megabit (Mb) and Megabyte (MB) are very different, 1MB/s = 8Mbps as there are 8 bits in 1 byte. Sometimes you may see speeds when downloading expressed as MB/s, but broadband speeds are referred to in Mbps.
“Gig” or “Gigabit” broadband
Broadband that is capable of achieving speeds of 1Gbps (gigabits per second) or thereabouts. In practice this usually means FTTP or DOCSIS 3.1 cable services.
“Premises passed”
Term used to describe a premise which is able to order a broadband service with a given provider.
“Decent” broadband
This is a definition used by Ofcom of a broadband connection capable of delivering 10 Mbps downstream, and 1 Mbps upstream.
“Take-up”
The ratio between premises that order a service and the total ‘premises passed’ (where a service is available). It should be noted that even if full fibre is available, it doesn’t mean all services are provided at 1 Gbps speeds.
About thinkbroadband
thinkbroadband is the UK’s leading source of broadband news and analysis and home to the UK’s largest community of users looking to get the most out of their home broadband. Run by a small team passionate about all things connectivity, we are independent of broadband providers and offer listings to any provider who meets our listing criteria, not based on whether they pay a commission.
Over the past two decades, we have created a wide range of free tools to help consumers understand how to make the most out of their broadband connection including speed tests, broadband maps, local broadband statistics, and our one-second resolution broadband quality monitor.
We have also developed a range of industry-specific solutions, such as our broadband availability API. This tool is designed to assist websites requiring information on broadband service availability in a particular area, enabling them to power their own services and deliver their users with accurate comparison listings.
“When we began our journey to deliver broadband information twenty-three years ago, it was because we were eager to inform the public about the early stages of broadband developments. Since then, the Internet is no longer something we connect to once a day, but part of our everyday lives.
We have always strived to be different. We aren’t another comparison site. Hey, we don’t even consider ourselves a comparison site as most of the time, we aren’t trying to persuade users to switch providers. A lot of the tools we have written are designed to help you troubleshoot your broadband connection. We even work with providers to troubleshoot issues at times.
The thinkbroadband.com site is now 25 years old and we continue to run it with the same passion as when we started. We are the most up-to-date source of broadband availability and speed information in the UK, and we want to provide the best and most unique tools to help you understand the performance of your Internet connection.
I am proud that after all this time, the team that was there in the first year is still the team that runs the website today.”
