PlainBroadband

About PlainBroadband

Our mission is to make UK broadband coverage data transparent, searchable, and freely accessible to everyone. PlainBroadband helps residents, researchers, journalists, housing professionals, and policymakers find, compare, and understand fixed-broadband availability across all 361 local authorities and 650 Westminster constituencies in Great Britain and Northern Ireland — without paywalls, registration, or specialist knowledge.

Whether you are checking whether full-fibre is available in your area, comparing gigabit coverage between constituencies before a house move, or researching the broadband divide between urban and rural England, PlainBroadband gives you structured, source-cited answers drawn directly from Ofcom's official surveys.

Our Data

All data comes directly from Ofcom, the UK's independent communications regulator, via the Connected Nations 2025 report (July 2025 edition, reference r01). This dataset is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0, which permits free reuse with attribution. It covers:

  • Full-fibre (FTTP): Premises where a fibre-to-the-premises connection is available, capable of gigabit speeds.
  • Gigabit-capable broadband: Premises with access to connections capable of at least 1 Gbit/s download — includes full-fibre and some cable networks.
  • Superfast broadband (SFBB): Premises where download speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s are available.
  • Ultrafast broadband (UFBB): Premises with access to connections delivering at least 300 Mbit/s.
  • USO gap (below 10 Mbit/s): Premises not yet able to receive the Universal Service Obligation speed of 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload.
  • Full-fibre take-up: The proportion of premises in a given area that have actually subscribed to a full-fibre service where one is available.

Why UK Broadband Data Matters

The UK government's Project Gigabit programme aims to extend gigabit-capable broadband to at least 85% of UK premises. Northern Ireland leads the four nations with 93.3% full-fibre coverage, largely due to Project Stratum, while Scotland stands at 70.0% — a gap of more than 23 percentage points. Understanding where coverage is strong, where the USO gap persists, and which local authorities are furthest behind is essential for residents making housing decisions, councils bidding for connectivity investment, and researchers evaluating digital inequality.

Methodology

We download the Ofcom Connected Nations datasets, process them through an ETL pipeline, and organise results into searchable pages for each local authority, Westminster constituency, and nation. No underlying figures are modified, interpolated, or editorialised. For full details on how Ofcom defines each metric and how we handle the data, see our methodology page.

Updates

Ofcom publishes its Connected Nations report annually, typically in the summer. The current data reflects the July 2025 publication. We will refresh our database when the next edition is released.

Independence

PlainBroadband is not affiliated with Ofcom, the UK government, or any broadband provider. We are an independent data portal that presents public information in a more accessible format. We do not accept compensation from any telecoms operator or infrastructure company whose coverage figures appear on this site.

Who Built This

PlainBroadband is published by an independent editorial team that compiles, verifies, and contextualises public datasets for general readers. We build plain-language reference sites covering public data across the UK and beyond. We believe government datasets belong to the public — and should be easy to find.

Editorial Independence

Guide articles and explanatory content on this site are compiled by our editorial team from official source data and reviewed for accuracy and clarity before publication. Data pages present Ofcom figures directly without modification. Our methodology page describes the editorial process in detail.

Disclaimer

This site is for informational purposes only. Coverage figures come from Ofcom's premises-based network surveys and represent availability, not guaranteed speeds. Actual broadband performance depends on your specific address, provider, and in-home wiring. Always verify with your broadband provider or Ofcom's checker for address-level detail before making purchasing decisions.

Contact

For questions, feedback, or data corrections, email hello@plainbroadband.co.uk or use our contact page.