How Much of the UK Has Gigabit Internet?
THE JUNE 2026 UK BROADBAND COVERAGE UPDATE
THE SHORT ANSWER
As of 7 June 2026, gigabit-capable broadband is available to 90.79 percent of UK premises, according to the latest thinkbroadband availability analysis.
That is roughly 30.33 million premises out of the 33.41 million included in the analysis. Full fibre is available to 84.58 percent, while 195,713 premises are still estimated to receive less than 10Mbps.
The UK has therefore moved beyond the 90 percent milestone, but the remaining rollout is becoming slower and more difficult. The government's current expectation is for at least 99 percent gigabit coverage by 2032.
THE 90.79 PERCENT MILESTONE
The latest figures put UK gigabit availability at 90.79 percent, an increase of 0.17 percentage points since 7 May 2026. In premises terms, thinkbroadband counted 30,333,231 locations with access to a gigabit-capable service.
Full-fibre availability reached 84.58 percent, up 0.35 points in a month. Openreach or KCOM FTTP reached 68.59 percent, while 39.99 percent of premises could access two or more FTTP networks, including RFoG.
The monthly increases show that construction continues, but the national rollout curve is flattening. Operators are increasingly concentrating on customer take-up and returns from areas they have already built rather than expanding at the pace seen several years ago.
COVERAGE IS NOT TAKE-UP
A premises counts as covered when a qualifying service can be ordered. The 90.79 percent figure does not mean that nine in ten households currently subscribe to a gigabit package.
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
Northern Ireland remains the clear leader, while Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West also sit comfortably above the UK average. The table below uses thinkbroadband figures dated 7 June 2026. Monthly changes compare with 7 May 2026.
| REGION OR NATION | GIGABIT COVERAGE | MONTHLY CHANGE | FULL-FIBRE COVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 97.30% | +0.04 points | 97.02% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 94.76% | No change | 92.50% |
| North West England | 94.56% | +0.11 points | 91.68% |
| North East England | 93.63% | +0.25 points | 84.50% |
| West Midlands | 92.76% | +0.13 points | 85.79% |
| London | 92.69% | -0.04 points | 81.10% |
| East Midlands | 91.84% | +0.05 points | 87.69% |
| England | 91.18% | +0.12 points | 84.70% |
| United Kingdom | 90.79% | +0.17 points | 84.58% |
| East of England | 89.20% | +0.15 points | 81.66% |
| Wales | 88.58% | +0.44 points | 86.69% |
| South East England | 88.09% | +0.20 points | 80.46% |
| Scotland | 86.19% | +0.55 points | 77.27% |
| South West England | 84.84% | +0.32 points | 79.68% |
THE REMAINING COVERAGE GAP
The national percentage hides a substantial divide between well-served areas and the premises that remain difficult to upgrade. Thinkbroadband estimates that 195,713 UK premises are still below 10Mbps, with 65,176 below 2Mbps.
At regional level, South West England has the lowest gigabit figure in the latest table at 84.84 percent. Scotland stands at 86.19 percent, Wales at 88.58 percent and the East of England at 89.20 percent.
Not every uncovered property is rural, but remote locations, difficult terrain, long cable routes, private access problems and low population density can make commercial deployment expensive. Project Gigabit is intended to support homes and businesses that are not expected to be reached through suppliers' commercial plans.
THE LAST FEW PERCENT WILL BE DIFFERENT
Future progress is likely to rely on a mixture of commercial full fibre, publicly supported builds, fixed wireless and satellite rather than one network technology reaching every address.
WHY LONDON DIPPED
London still has high regional gigabit availability at 92.69 percent, but it was the only region in the latest table to record a monthly fall. Its gigabit figure slipped by 0.04 percentage points, while superfast coverage fell by 0.03 points.
Thinkbroadband says the gigabit reduction represents roughly 1,600 premises and resulted from ready-for-service status being removed from several network footprints. That does not necessarily mean cables were physically taken away; it means the service was no longer counted as orderable at those addresses.
At the same time, London's full-fibre figure increased by 0.33 points to 81.10 percent. This illustrates why short-term movement in availability data can reflect database and orderability changes as well as new construction.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The UK government expects at least 99 percent of premises to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2032. Project Gigabit is focused on locations that are unlikely to be reached through commercial investment alone.
Progress is expected to become less dramatic as the easiest and most commercially attractive streets are completed. Networks are also under pressure to convert premises passed into paying customers, which can shift investment away from rapid footprint expansion.
The gap between gigabit coverage at 90.79 percent and full fibre at 84.58 percent also matters. Some gigabit availability is supplied by upgraded cable networks and other technologies, so gigabit-capable coverage should not be treated as identical to fibre-to-the-premises coverage.
THE NEXT MILESTONE
Passing 90 percent is important, but the policy test is whether upgrades reach the addresses that have waited longest—not simply whether already competitive areas receive another network.
HOW TO READ THE FIGURES
The 90.79 percent figure comes from thinkbroadband's continuously updated availability analysis dated 7 June 2026. Ofcom's Spring 2026 Connected Nations update reported 89 percent gigabit availability, based on provider data collected in January 2026.
Those figures are not directly contradictory. They use different reporting dates, premises datasets and methodologies. Ofcom's figure is an official regulatory snapshot, while thinkbroadband's figure is a more recent independent availability estimate.
Both measure whether a service is available to order—not whether a household has purchased it, whether every package offers a full 1Gbps average speed, or whether Wi-Fi inside the home will achieve that speed.
FAQS
WHEN WILL THE UK REACH 99 PERCENT GIGABIT COVERAGE?
The government expects at least 99 percent of UK premises to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2032. The remaining locations are generally expected to be more expensive or technically difficult to connect.
WHICH UK REGION HAS THE BEST GIGABIT COVERAGE?
Northern Ireland leads the latest thinkbroadband table at 97.30 percent. Yorkshire and the Humber follows at 94.76 percent, with the North West at 94.56 percent.
DOES 90.79 PERCENT COVERAGE MEAN 90.79 PERCENT OF PEOPLE USE GIGABIT BROADBAND?
No. Coverage measures where a gigabit-capable service can be ordered. It does not measure how many homes or businesses have subscribed to one.
WHY DOES OFCOM REPORT A DIFFERENT FIGURE?
Ofcom reported 89 percent in its Spring 2026 update using provider data from January 2026. The 90.79 percent figure is thinkbroadband analysis dated 7 June 2026, so the reporting dates and methodologies differ.
HOW MANY PREMISES ARE STILL BELOW 10MBPS?
Thinkbroadband estimates that 195,713 UK premises remain below 10Mbps, including 65,176 below 2Mbps.
WHY DID LONDON'S COVERAGE FALL SLIGHTLY?
London's regional gigabit figure fell by 0.04 percentage points to 92.69 percent. Thinkbroadband attributed the change, equal to around 1,600 premises, to ready-for-service status being removed from several network footprints.
