- Half of UK premises can now access gigabit broadband, up from 6% in 2019
- Ministers and broadband operators mark important milestone during London Tech Week
- Stourbridge, West Dunbartonshire and Solihull are seeing the biggest leaps in gigabit coverage
- Comes shortly after Virgin Media O2 expanded the gigabit network to over 10 million households
On the second day of London Tech Week, ministers and the telecommunications industry welcomed this significant milestone in bringing next generation internet speeds to every corner of the UK.
Nationwide coverage of 50 percent means that more than 15 million properties can access a broadband connection with download speeds of 1,000 megabits or one gigabit per second.
This is a giant leap in gigabit broadband availability, which was just 6 percent in January 2019.
Since then, the government has embarked on the Gigabit project, the largest broadband roll-out in British history, with unprecedented £ 5 billion funding to connect hard-to-reach areas.
The telecommunications industry has also greatly expanded its investments in and rollout of gigabit-enabled networks. Earlier this month, Virgin Media O2 connected an additional 1.7 million homes with gigabit services and expanded its gigabit network to more than 10 million homes across the country.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said:
We are halfway through our national mission to upgrade the UK to lightning-fast gigabit broadband.
Millions of people can now access the fastest, most reliable Internet connections that will enable them to take full advantage of new technologies for the next forty years.
Thanks to the work of industry and our record £ 5 billion investment, we are making phenomenal strides in the Prime Minister’s infrastructure revolution.
Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Media O2, said:
As the UK’s largest gigabit operator, Virgin Media O2 is leading the way in bringing next-generation services to life across our network at an unprecedented pace. Our continued investments have future-proofed gigabit connectivity for more than 10 million homes, and we are determined to bring that work to a close.
With a clear plan to connect our entire network at gigabit speed by the end of the year, we pride ourselves on playing the leading role in meeting most of the government’s broadband targets ahead of schedule and moving the UK up in global broadband rankings bring to .”
Andrew Ferguson, Editor of ThinkBroadband, said:
We’re excited to see the UK break the 50 percent gigabit availability mark across the UK, and if existing carrier plans come true, we expect 65-68 percent gigabit coverage by early 2022.
The next few years will be transformative for the UK broadband market as many fiber optic networks are built and we look forward to mapping them all and ensuring that the public can easily see their broadband options.
Communities across the country have seen massive increases in gigabit broadband coverage, driven by public and commercial investment. For example, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, gigabit broadband availability has increased from just 1 percent in July 2020 to 95% today.
In Blackpool, gigabit broadband coverage rose from 2 percent in January 2019 to almost 85 percent today. In Reading, it rose from 5 percent in January 2019 to 93 percent.
In Stourbridge, Worcestershire, gigabit broadband availability increased from 0% in January 2020 to 96% today. In Solihull in the West Midlands it was 3% in January 2019 but has now reached 91.5%.
Gigabit connectivity, which is predominantly supplied via full or hybrid fiber optic broadband cables in households and companies, will be required more and more in the coming years as more and more internet-enabled “intelligent” devices become available for the household. And it will provide the bandwidth families need to run and enjoy new developments in entertainment like 8K TV and VR games on multiple devices at the same time.
As more people work remotely, gigabit broadband will also provide much faster and more reliable connectivity for rural and hard-to-reach communities, making them more attractive for people to settle down, raise families, and start and grow businesses.
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Notes for editors
- Today’s gigabit broadband availability figures were compiled by ThinkBroadband, the independent broadband checker website.
-Learn more about how the government’s £ 5 billion project gigabit rollout is bringing fast, reliable broadband to every corner of the UK, including remote areas.