How Much of the UK Has Gigabit Internet?
THE 2026 BROADBAND MILESTONE
THE SHORT ANSWER
The UK is upgrading its digital infrastructure at a rapid pace. A recent analysis conducted by ThinkBroadband reveals that 90.04 percent of the UK now has access to gigabit broadband as of late February 2026. This marks a massive leap toward the ultimate political ambition of hitting 99 percent coverage by 2032.
THE 90 PERCENT MILESTONE
Reaching the 90 percent mark is a huge win for the UK telecoms industry. We previously saw the country hit 85 percent back in October 2024. The steady climb over the last 16 months shows that both commercial investments and Project Gigabit initiatives are making a serious impact on the ground.
Across the globe, countries are in a tight race to future-proof their networks. The UK's approach relies heavily on a mix of Openreach expansions, government contracts, and alternative network providers (AltNets) digging up streets to lay full fibre. ThinkBroadband bases their tracking on whether the vast majority of premises in a postcode can order a service at a standard list price and have it installed within a couple of weeks without excess charges.
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
The rollout is incredibly fragmented. Some areas are practically fully connected, while others are dragging the national average down. Northern Ireland remains the undisputed leader, largely due to early aggressive rollouts from Openreach and Fibrus.
| REGION | FEB 2026 COVERAGE | OCT 2024 COVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 97.15% | 96.42% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 94.32% | 89.49% |
| North West England | 93.86% | 88.67% |
| London | 92.90% | 91.31% |
| North East England | 92.77% | 86.04% |
| West Midlands | 92.22% | 88.90% |
| East Midlands | 91.45% | 86.29% |
| United Kingdom (Average) | 90.04% | 85.20% |
| East of England | 88.43% | 82.45% |
| South East England | 87.27% | 83.04% |
| Wales | 86.17% | 76.04% |
| Scotland | 84.69% | 79.14% |
| South West England | 83.53% | 77.06% |
THE RURAL CHALLENGE
Connecting cities is the easy part. The real challenge comes when extending networks into remote communities. This is a global issue, but the UK's geography presents distinct hurdles.
Several local councils are currently lagging far behind the national average. Na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles) currently sits at just 13.5 percent. However, this is actually a significant improvement from 6.9 percent a year ago. Similarly, the Shetland Islands have climbed to 22.8 percent from 11.7 percent, and the Orkney Islands have improved to 30.7 percent from 18 percent. Other areas feeling the pinch include Argyll and Bute at 28.2 percent and Aberdeenshire at 51.7 percent.
THE LONDON ANOMALY
You might expect the financial centre of the country to have flawless connectivity, but the City and County of the City of London actually experienced a slight drop in its percentage, currently sitting at 63.7 percent. This is lower than a year ago, although higher than the 60 percent recorded two years prior.
Why does this happen? The area is incredibly small, containing just 13,975 premises. When the sample size is this tight, any new apartment building constructed without immediate SME or consumer gigabit options skews the data significantly. Furthermore, full fibre providers often mark a street as "Ready for Service", only to be forced into withdrawing the option when a difficult landlord refuses a wayleave agreement.
FUTURE PREDICTIONS
What happens next? Predicting the timeline for the final 10 percent is incredibly tricky. We are hitting the flattening part of the S-curve, a very similar pattern to the superfast broadband rollout a decade ago.
Commercial operators are now focusing more on overbuilding existing areas to increase competition, or engaging in mergers and acquisitions, rather than breaking new ground. Because of this general slowdown on the commercial edge, ThinkBroadband experts suggest that reaching 93.2 percent gigabit coverage by September 2028 might actually be slightly optimistic unless the investment landscape shifts dramatically. We expect Ofcom to formally verify the 90 percent milestone in either their summer or December 2026 Connected Nations report.
FAQS
WHEN WILL THE UK REACH 99 PERCENT GIGABIT COVERAGE?
The political ambition is to reach 99 percent gigabit coverage across the UK by 2032. However, progress is expected to slow down as providers reach the hardest remote areas.
WHICH UK REGION HAS THE BEST GIGABIT INTERNET?
As of early 2026 Northern Ireland leads the way with 97.15 percent gigabit coverage, followed by Yorkshire and The Humber at 94.32 percent.
WHY DOES THE CITY OF LONDON HAVE LOWER GIGABIT COVERAGE?
The City of London has a relatively low coverage of 63.7 percent due to strict planning laws, the complexities of upgrading historic buildings, and landlords refusing wayleaves.
