Written by Mary Lennighan
More than half of UK homes now have full fibre broadband coverage, while access to Gigabit services in general is on the up, according to new data published by Ofcom on Thursday.
But while the UK telecoms regulator is upbeat on progress in its latest connectivity report, fibre growth slowed in the first few months of 2023 and there is a serious question mark over government targets on Gigabit broadband.
Full fibre coverage for the UK as a whole passed the halfway mark earlier this year, the most recent update to Ofcom’s regular Connected Nations report shows. Fibre coverage reached 52% in May, or 15.4 million homes, up from 48% in January, the regulator said.
That four percentage point hike is to be cheered, of course. But it’s worth noting that Ofcom’s figures for January showed growth of six percentage points over four months, so the market has slowed a little. Nonetheless, we’re looking at a 15-point increase over a year, and that’s to be applauded.
