Full-fibre broadband now available to more than 8 million UK homes

The topline findings of the study showed were that more than 8 million homes (28%) can now get full-fibre broadband while average monthly data use grew to 453 GB per connection – more than treble the level of five years ago (132 GB).

Over the course of 2021, 750,000 homes upgraded to faster, more reliable full-fibre services, taking the number of properties connected to nearly two million representing just less than a quarter (24%) of home to which full-fibre upgrades are available. Ofcom moted added that with 7.4 million broadband customers out of contract and likely to be paying higher prices for slower speeds, many households could upgrade to a discounted full-fibre package without paying more than they currently do.

The study also showed that around half of UK properties are now in areas where 5G is available outside from at least one mobile network operator. Take-up of 5G-enabled handsets has increased substantially, from just 800,000 last year to more than six million in 2021. Although doubling in the last year, 5G traffic still accounts for a relatively small proportion of overall mobile data traffic at 3%, with 4G remaining the dominant technology at 91%.

“Many families now have multiple devices on the go at the same time for work, learning and entertainment – and the festive holidays can see a particular battle for bandwidth,” said Ofcom’s network and communications group director Lindsey Fussell commenting on the Connected Nations report . “Full-fibre is helping meet those demands, with millions more benefitting from faster speeds and more reliable connections. But some homes in hard-to-reach areas still struggle to get decent broadband, so there’s more work to do to make sure these communities get the connections they need.” Rapid TV News