Home / Local Authorities / Northern Ireland / Derry City and Strabane

Derry City and Strabane Broadband Coverage

Ranked #28 of 361 UK local authorities by full-fibre coverage. 92.7% is above the UK national average of 77.5%.

The verdict

Derry City and Strabane is one of the best-connected places in the UK — ranked #28 of 361 UK local authorities (top 7.8%) with 92.7% full-fibre coverage, 15.2pp above the 77.5% UK average.

#28 of 361 UK authorities
Top 7.8% for full-fibre coverage
+15.2pp vs 77.5% UK average
0.3% below USO minimum

About Broadband in Derry City and Strabane

Derry City and Strabane is a local authority district in Northern Ireland with 68,546 premises in the Ofcom Connected Nations 2025 dataset. Full-fibre (FTTP) broadband is available to 92.7% of premises, and gigabit-capable connectivity reaches 93.5%. Superfast broadband (≥30 Mbit/s) is accessible to 97.8% of premises. Derry City and Strabane ranks 28th nationally out of 361 local authorities by full-fibre coverage.

The gigabit and full-fibre figures reflect the proportion of addresses that can order an FTTP connection from at least one provider — availability does not imply that every household has taken up a service. Full-fibre take-up across all premises stands at 56%, and among premises where coverage is available the figure is 61%. Ofcom defines gigabit-capable as the ability to receive download speeds of at least 1,000 Mbit/s, which in practice means a full-fibre or qualifying cable network must pass the property.

Some 0.3% of premises remain below the Universal Service Obligation threshold of 10 Mbit/s download / 1 Mbit/s upload, indicating a modest but real connectivity gap for the most remote properties in the area. Figures are drawn from operator network-coverage data submitted to Ofcom and verified through the Connected Nations 2025 methodology. See our methodology page for full details on how premises counts and coverage percentages are calculated.

92.7%
Full-Fibre (FTTP)
93.5%
Gigabit-Capable
97.8%
Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s)
0.3%
Below USO

Coverage by Technology — Derry City and Strabane

Broadband coverage by technology type — Derry City and Strabane, Ofcom Connected Nations 2025

Full-Fibre (FTTP)92.7%Gigabit-capable93.5%Ultrafast (≥300 Mbit/s)93.5%Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s)97.8%NGA (any next-gen)99.2%
Broadband coverage by technology type — Derry City and Strabane, Ofcom Connected Nations 2025

Where Derry City and Strabane Sits Nationally

Derry City and Strabane vs every UK local authority

Full-fibre coverage distribution across all 361 UK local authorities. Derry City and Strabane's 92.7% places it in the highlighted band.

92.7% Top 7.8% ranked #28 of 361 UK authorities

10–19%: 3 authorities 20–29%: 2 authorities 30–39%: 3 authorities 40–49%: 10 authorities 50–59%: 24 authorities 60–69%: 65 authorities 70–79%: 103 authorities 80–89%: 93 authorities 90–99%: 58 authorities Derry City and… 0% 100%

every UK local authority, bucketed by full-fibre coverage

Source: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, r01)

Full Coverage Data

Metric Coverage Definition
Full-Fibre (FTTP) 92.7% Fibre to the Premises — optical fibre all the way to the property
Gigabit-Capable 93.5% ≥1,000 Mbit/s download speed available
Ultrafast Broadband (≥300 Mbit/s) 93.5% UFBB — ≥300 Mbit/s download speed available
Ultrafast (≥100 Mbit/s) 93.5% ≥100 Mbit/s download speed available
Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s) 97.8% SFBB — ≥30 Mbit/s download speed available
NGA (any next-generation access) 99.2% Any NGA network available
Below USO Threshold 0.3% Below 10 Mbit/s down / 1 Mbit/s up USO minimum
Full-Fibre Take-Up (all premises) 56% % of all premises actively using a full-fibre connection
Full-Fibre Take-Up (covered premises) 61% % of premises where FTTP is available that have taken it up
Total Premises 68,546 All premises in Ofcom's matched dataset
National Rank (Full-Fibre) #28 / 361 Ranking among all UK local authorities by full-fibre coverage

Coverage Analysis

Derry City and Strabane's full-fibre coverage of 92.7% places it at rank 28 nationally. The gap between full-fibre availability (92.7%) and gigabit availability (93.5%) reflects whether any qualifying cable networks supplement the FTTP rollout in this district. Where the two figures are close, full-fibre is effectively the sole gigabit delivery mechanism.

Superfast coverage at 97.8% gives a sense of the floor for most residents — the majority of premises in Derry City and Strabane can receive at least 30 Mbit/s. The USO gap of 0.3% represents premises that cannot yet access the government-mandated minimum of 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload. In rural local authorities this figure can reach double digits; in dense urban areas it typically approaches zero.

Take-up data provides a demand-side view. With 56% of all premises actively using full-fibre, Derry City and Strabane gives a clear picture of how quickly residents are switching to future-proof connections as they become available.

Related

Compare all local authorities

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the full-fibre broadband coverage in Derry City and Strabane?

According to Ofcom Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, r01), 92.7% of premises in Derry City and Strabane have access to full-fibre (FTTP) broadband. Full-fibre connects properties using optical fibre all the way from the exchange, enabling gigabit-speed connections. The UK national average is approximately 77.5%.

How does Derry City and Strabane compare nationally for broadband coverage?

Derry City and Strabane ranks 28th out of 361 UK local authorities by full-fibre coverage (92.7%). Gigabit-capable coverage stands at 93.5% and superfast (≥30 Mbit/s) coverage at 97.8%. Figures are from Ofcom Connected Nations 2025.

Does Derry City and Strabane meet the broadband Universal Service Obligation?

The Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) guarantees access to at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload. In Derry City and Strabane, 0.3% of premises fall below this threshold. If your property cannot receive the USO minimum, you may be able to request a qualifying connection from an eligible provider. See Ofcom's guidance for details.

Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations 2025 — UK Fixed Broadband Coverage (July 2025, r01). Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial. Disclaimer: Coverage figures show availability, not guaranteed service quality or actual take-up. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.