The Gigabit vs Full-Fibre Gap Across the UK (2025)
UK gigabit coverage stands at 85.9%, while full-fibre coverage is 77.5% — a gap of +8.4 pp. This analysis examines where that gap comes from, which local authorities show the widest divergence, and what it means for residents. All figures from Ofcom Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, reference r01).
Data: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, r01) · Open Government Licence v3.0
What Drives the Gap?
Gigabit-capable broadband and full-fibre broadband are related but not identical concepts. Full-fibre (also called FTTP — Fibre to the Premises) runs optical fibre cable all the way to the premises. It is the technology being deployed by Openreach, CityFibre, Virgin Media O2's wholesale arm, and a growing number of independent altnet operators.
Gigabit-capable broadband is a wider category. A premises counts as gigabit-capable in Ofcom's methodology if it can access speeds of at least 1 Gbit/s, whether via full-fibre or via an upgraded cable network using DOCSIS 3.1 technology. Virgin Media's HFC (hybrid-fibre coaxial) network — which reaches a large proportion of urban England — is gigabit-capable despite not being full-fibre to the premises. The fibre in a Virgin Media connection runs to a street cabinet or node; the final drop to the home is a coaxial cable.
The gap between gigabit and full-fibre coverage figures, therefore, is largely a measure of the extent of upgraded cable network coverage that is gigabit-capable but not full-fibre. In areas where Virgin Media or similar cable networks operate, the gap can be substantial. In areas where those networks do not operate, gigabit coverage and full-fibre coverage are effectively the same number.
National Summary: Gap by Coverage Metric
Nation-by-Nation Gap Pattern
The gigabit-minus-full-fibre gap varies considerably by nation. England has the largest average gap, reflecting the concentration of Virgin Media's cable network in English urban and suburban areas. Northern Ireland, by contrast, shows almost no gap at all — its high full-fibre coverage (driven by Project Stratum) means gigabit access is delivered almost entirely via fibre, not cable.
| Nation | Avg Gigabit | Avg Full-Fibre | Avg Gap | Authorities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 85.5% | 76.3% | +9.3 pp | 296 |
| Scotland | 72.1% | 63.2% | +8.9 pp | 32 |
| Wales | 76.7% | 74.5% | +2.2 pp | 22 |
| Northern Ireland | 94.1% | 93.5% | +0.6 pp | 11 |
Local Authorities With the Largest Gigabit–Fibre Gap
At the authority level, the gap is most pronounced where cable network coverage is highest relative to full-fibre deployment. These are typically areas where Virgin Media's HFC network is extensive but where full-fibre operators have not yet completed their build. In several cases, the gap exceeds 50 percentage points, meaning that more than half of all premises have gigabit-capable access only because of a cable network upgrade rather than a full-fibre connection.
This distinction matters for consumers. DOCSIS 3.1 cable networks can deliver gigabit download speeds, but upload speeds are typically lower than full-fibre (often 50–100 Mbit/s rather than the near-symmetric speeds a full-fibre connection can provide). The technology is also shared-access at the node level, meaning that speeds can vary during peak usage periods, though modern DOCSIS 3.1 networks have substantially mitigated this.
| # | Local Authority | Nation | Gigabit % | Full-Fibre % | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harlow | England | 89.5% | 16.4% | +73.1 pp |
| 2 | South Tyneside | England | 89.1% | 32.4% | +56.7 pp |
| 3 | West Dunbartonshire | Scotland | 90.8% | 43.5% | +47.3 pp |
| 4 | Enfield | England | 90.7% | 49.2% | +41.5 pp |
| 5 | Redditch | England | 90.6% | 49.2% | +41.4 pp |
| 6 | Telford and Wrekin | England | 85.3% | 45.5% | +39.8 pp |
| 7 | Warwick | England | 82.8% | 44.5% | +38.3 pp |
| 8 | Oxford | England | 76.1% | 38.2% | +37.9 pp |
| 9 | Gloucester | England | 93.7% | 56.2% | +37.5 pp |
| 10 | Stockton-on-Tees | England | 91.8% | 57.5% | +34.3 pp |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | England | 94.7% | 60.6% | +34.1 pp |
| 12 | Havant | England | 93.8% | 61.0% | +32.8 pp |
| 13 | Bromley | England | 92.3% | 60.0% | +32.3 pp |
| 14 | Hounslow | England | 91.3% | 59.2% | +32.1 pp |
| 15 | Redcar and Cleveland | England | 90.2% | 59.0% | +31.2 pp |
Where Gigabit and Full-Fibre Coverage Align
In contrast, a number of local authorities show gigabit and full-fibre coverage that are almost identical — a gap of less than one percentage point. These areas typically have high full-fibre deployment by one or more operators but limited or no cable network infrastructure. In these authorities, virtually all gigabit access is delivered via fibre, not cable. This pattern is common in Northern Ireland and in parts of Scotland where full-fibre investment has been concentrated without a parallel cable network.
| # | Local Authority | Nation | Full-Fibre % | Gigabit % | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingston upon Hull, City of | England | 99.6% | 99.6% | +0.0 pp |
| 2 | Southend-on-Sea | England | 97.6% | 98.3% | +0.7 pp |
| 3 | Bracknell Forest | England | 96.6% | 97.1% | +0.5 pp |
| 4 | Antrim and Newtownabbey | Northern Ireland | 96.3% | 96.7% | +0.4 pp |
| 5 | Milton Keynes | England | 95.7% | 95.7% | +0.0 pp |
| 6 | Ards and North Down | Northern Ireland | 95.4% | 95.8% | +0.4 pp |
| 7 | Cannock Chase | England | 95.4% | 96.1% | +0.7 pp |
| 8 | Reading | England | 94.8% | 95.7% | +0.9 pp |
| 9 | Mid and East Antrim | Northern Ireland | 94.7% | 94.7% | +0.0 pp |
| 10 | Newry, Mourne and Down | Northern Ireland | 94.2% | 94.2% | +0.0 pp |
What the Gap Means for Consumers
For a consumer choosing a broadband package, the gigabit-versus-full-fibre distinction matters primarily on the upload side and on long-term reliability. Full-fibre connections offer substantially higher upload speeds than cable — useful for video calls, cloud backup, home working, and any application that pushes data rather than pulls it. Full-fibre infrastructure also requires less maintenance than ageing HFC plant and is less susceptible to signal degradation.
For the purpose of the UK government's gigabit coverage target, both full-fibre and DOCSIS 3.1 cable networks count. The target is for at least 85% of UK premises to have access to gigabit-capable broadband — a threshold that was passed nationally before the July 2025 Ofcom snapshot. However, if the target were reframed as "full-fibre gigabit" rather than "gigabit-capable," the national coverage figure would be lower, and fewer local authorities would be considered to have met the target.
Data Source and Methodology
All figures are drawn from our database, which ingests Ofcom's Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, reference r01) local authority tables. The gigabit-minus-full-fibre gap is computed from the raw authority-level figures; national averages in the gap table are unweighted means across authorities, while UK headline figures use premises-weighted aggregation. See our methodology page for full details of how we process and present Ofcom's data.
Related analysis: The urban-rural broadband divide · Full-fibre coverage by nation · Full league tables