Regulatory body Ofcom announced seven per cent of UK properties connects to ultrafast broadband speeds of 300Mbps. This marks an improvement from one per cent in Q4 2018 of fibre to the home (FTTH) connections. Full-fibre broadband uses fibre cables all the way from the exchange to properties, without legacy copper wiring to support. The boost in FTTH broadband availability coincides with Openreach’s Fibre First rollout, Virgin Media’s Project Lighting and CityFibre’s ongoing partnership with Vodafone, as internet service providers have been making strides to increase the reach of their fibre networks. The announcement is part of Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, an annual report detailing the UK’s connectivity in broadband and mobile. The report also found 95 per cent of the UK can subscribe to broadband speeds of 30Mbps (superfast broadband). While the number of properties connecting to a slow connection of 10Mbps has fallen by a third to 619,000 “For the first time, a majority of homes and offices can now get ultrafast broadband – which allows people to work, stream and shop online at the same time,” said Ofcom chief executive Sharon White (pictured). “We’ve also seen the number of homes that can’t get decent broadband fall by a third in the last year. I think that progress is really encouraging, but it’s vital we keep it going. So, we’re working with the Government to bring in the new universal broadband service, which will give everyone the right to request a decent connection. We’ll announce who’ll deliver the scheme in the summer.” Mobile The report found 4G coverage from all four major operators is up one per cent to 78pc since September. Not-spots – areas where connections are unobtainable – is also down one per cent to 8pc.
Full-fibre internet connection in the UK has jumped with 7% of properties connected to ultrafast broadband with speeds of 300 Mbps, according to Ofcom. This is a significant increase from the 1% of homes connected in Q4 2018. The increase results from a number of developments, including Openreach’s Fibre First rollout, Virgin Media’s Project Lighting and the ongoing rollout of FTTH broadband by CityFibre and Vodafone. “Superfast broadband, which delivers download speeds up to 100 times faster than ADSL at an affordable price, will be available for all new premises built after 2020. Connected Nations report also revealed 95% of the UK has access to superfast broadband with speeds of 30 Mbps. Relevant document: Connected Nations Update ~ Ofcom ~ Spring 2019