Connected Nations 2023

Full-fibre broadband is now available at more than half of UK residential premises (57%), sharply up from 42% in 2022. Gigabit-capable broadband coverage levels now exceed three-quarters (78%) of UK residential premises, up from 70% in 2022. Ofcom saw 1.7 million new full-fibre consumer connections in the year to May 2023, out of a total of 4.6 million full-fibre connections. This means that just over a third of all full-fibre connections have been taken up in the twelve months to May 2023. As a proportion of premises where it is available, take-up rose by three percentage points from 25% in 2022 to 28%. Take-up varies significantly across nations, between urban and rural areas and local authorities; for example, in local authorities with at least 20% full fibre coverage, take-up as a proportion of premises with full fibre coverage ranges from 6% to 64%. Ninety-seven per cent of residential premises are able to access at least "superfast broadband" (with speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s). Take-up of superfast services as a proportion of all UK premises rose marginally to 72%.  The level of 5G coverage provided outside of premises by at least one mobile network operator (MNO) rose from 67-78% in 2022 to 85-93% in 2023.  As of September 2023, there were more than 18,5001 5G deployments in place across around 81,0002 sites in the UK, up from around 12,000 5G deployments reported in 2022.