Local authority · England
Bolton Broadband Coverage
Full-fibre reach, coverage gaps and how Bolton compares across 361 UK local authorities, from Ofcom Connected Nations data.
- 88.1%
- Full-fibre coverage
- #93
- of 361 UK authorities
- +7.1pp
- vs 81% UK average
- 137,545
- premises covered
The verdict
Bolton ranks #93 of 361 local authorities for full-fibre (88.1%) and #183 for the fixed/FWA availability gap (0.0%) - those two corpus maps diverge. It is ahead of the UK average for full-fibre with 88.1% full-fibre coverage, 7.1pp above the 81% UK average (top 25.8%).
Data updated August 2026
How Bolton's 70/100 score is built
Based on full-fibre and gigabit coverage, full-fibre take-up, the not-spot rate below the Universal Service Obligation, and superfast baseline coverage from Ofcom Connected Nations - not pricing, contended speeds in practice, or which providers actually serve an address.
Coverage desk
Extract OFCOM-CN-BOLTON · Bolton 137,545 premises · England
BOOK-LARGE · RANK-MID · FF-HIGH
- BOOK-LARGE 137,545
- RANK-MID #93
- FF-HIGH 88.1%
- GAP-CLEAR 0%
- DELTA-LEAD +7.1pp
- IN-NA-UPPER #73 in England
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ CONWY
- MIX-CABLE +6.9pp cable
Nearest full-fibre peer: CONWY (+ 0.2 pp full-fibre)
Instrument codes from this district’s Ofcom Connected Nations extract: premises book, corpus rank, full-fibre band, fixed/FWA gap, UK delta, in-nation rank, photo-finish peer, and gigabit mix, not a service-quality score.
Full-fibre neighbourhood
Nationwide coverage poles and nearest ABS full-fibre peers, not a reprint of the metrics table.
- #1 full-fibre · KINGSTON UPON HULL, 99.6%
- UK average 81%
- Bolton 88.1%
- CONWY 88.3%
- EAST LOTHIAN 87.8%
- NEWPORT 87.6%
- EAST RENFREWSHIRE 88.8%
Coverage by Technology - Bolton
Where Bolton Sits Nationally
Bolton vs every UK local authority
Full-fibre coverage distribution across all 361 UK local authorities. Bolton's 88.1% places it in the highlighted band.
88.1% Top 25.8% ranked #93 of 361 UK authorities
every UK local authority, bucketed by full-fibre coverage
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))
Full Coverage Data
| Metric | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Full-Fibre (FTTP) | 88.1% |
| Gigabit-Capable | 95% |
| Ultrafast Broadband (≥300 Mbit/s) | 95.4% |
| Ultrafast (≥100 Mbit/s) | 95.8% |
| Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s) | 98.9% |
| NGA (any next-generation access) | 99.3% |
| Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) | 27.5% |
| No decent fixed/FWA broadband | 0% |
| Full-Fibre Take-Up (all premises) | 32% |
| Full-Fibre Take-Up (covered premises) | 36% |
| Total Premises | 137,545 |
| National Rank (Full-Fibre) | #93 / 361 |
Related
Source: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Nationwide local authorities with similar full-fibre or gigabit coverage
Two Ofcom peer sets for Bolton, both outside England so the neighborhoods are not the same-nation Nearby block above.
Similar full-fibre
Nearest other-nation local authorities by full-fibre coverage (88.1% here; floor ≥10,000 premises).
Similar gigabit
Nearest other-nation local authorities by gigabit-capable coverage (95% here).
What 88.1% full-fibre means for Bolton
Bolton is 7.1pp ahead of the 81% UK average, but coverage still varies street by street.
- Check your own address, an authority average can hide big street-by-street differences in coverage. Check your postcode
- See how Bolton ranks against every other UK local authority, not just the national average. Full UK rankings
- Understand what full-fibre actually gets you before switching. How Ofcom Connected Nations works
Coverage figures are Ofcom Connected Nations availability data, not a guarantee of service at any single address; always check before switching.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close is Bolton to universal full-fibre?
Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 puts full-fibre (FTTP) at 88.1% of premises in Bolton (corpus rank #93 of 361). Gigabit-capable coverage is 95%. The UK average full-fibre share is 81%.
Is the fixed/FWA availability gap closed in Bolton?
Ofcom's Spring 2026 measure shows every measured premise in Bolton can receive decent broadband from a fixed line or fixed-wireless network.
Local authority figures are computed directly from Ofcom Connected Nations data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.