Northern Ireland Broadband Coverage
Data across 11 local authorities · 892,592 premises
Data updated August 2026
Nation-level 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. Data current as of January 2026.
Northern Ireland full-fibre coverage is 94.0% , above the UK national average of 81% . The nation ranks 1st among the four UK nations.
The verdict
Northern Ireland ranks #1 of 4 UK nations for full-fibre (94.0%) but #3 for the fixed/FWA availability gap (0.2%) - the coverage leader here is not the gap leader. Full-fibre reaches 94.0% of premises nationally - 13pp above the 81% UK average.
Where gigabit outruns full-fibre in Northern Ireland
Exclusive cut of the 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland by whether gigabit-capable coverage sits ≥0.05pp above full-fibre (used when every authority already shares one coarse fibre band).
Broadband Coverage in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland covers 11 local authority areas with a combined 892,592 premises, of which 94.0% can access a full-fibre (FTTP) connection and 94.9% have access to gigabit-capable broadband. The gap between full-fibre and gigabit figures reflects additional premises served by upgraded cable (DOCSIS 3.1) networks, principally in urban areas where Virgin Media O2's HFC infrastructure has been upgraded to support gigabit speeds without laying new fibre-to-the-premises.
Within Northern Ireland, coverage varies considerably at local authority level. ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY leads with 96.7% full-fibre coverage, while FERMANAGH AND OMAGH has the lowest proportion at 90.9% - a gap of 5.8 percentage points. No local authority in this nation reports more than 5% of premises in the Ofcom fixed/FWA availability gap column.
Superfast broadband (≥30 Mbit/s) reaches 98.6% of premises, while ultrafast (≥300 Mbit/s) is available to 94.9%. Full-fibre take-up, the proportion of premises that have subscribed to an FTTP service where one is available, stands at 59.3%, reflecting both consumer demand and the competitive broadband market. All figures are from Ofcom's Connected Nations Spring 2026 report, published in January 2026 and published in May 2026 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Top 10 Local Authorities by Full-fibre Coverage
Distribution of Northern Ireland Authorities
Where Northern Ireland's authorities cluster
Each bar is the number of Northern Ireland local authorities in that full-fibre band. The highlighted bar holds the national average (94.0%).
94.0% #1 of 4 Northern Ireland average vs the other UK nations
11 Northern Ireland local authorities, bucketed by full-fibre coverage
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))
Where Northern Ireland sits by local-authority inventory
Northern Ireland covers 11 Ofcom local authorities among 4 UK nations (inventory signal, not a quality ranking). Orthogonal to the in-nation full-fibre histogram above.
Northern Ireland vs all UK nations by local-authority count
Where this nation's disclosed Ofcom LA inventory sits among England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
11 4th of 4 the lowest of 4 nations
Nations, banded by Ofcom local-authority count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more nations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 · 2026-08-17
Local Authorities in Northern Ireland
11 areas · sorted by full-fibre| Local Authority | Full-fibre | Gigabit | Superfast | No decent fixed/FWA | Premises |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY | 96.7% | 97.1% | 99.7% | 0.0% | 66,802 |
| ARDS AND NORTH DOWN | 95.7% | 96.0% | 99.5% | 0.0% | 79,920 |
| LISBURN AND CASTLEREAGH | 95.4% | 96.4% | 99.5% | 0.0% | 67,906 |
| MID AND EAST ANTRIM | 95.2% | 95.2% | 98.8% | 0.1% | 66,726 |
| NEWRY, MOURNE AND DOWN | 95.1% | 95.1% | 98.8% | 0.2% | 79,261 |
| DERRY CITY AND STRABANE | 94.5% | 94.9% | 98.4% | 0.2% | 69,311 |
| MID ULSTER | 94.4% | 94.4% | 98.5% | 0.2% | 63,313 |
| CAUSEWAY COAST AND GLENS | 93.6% | 93.6% | 97.6% | 0.3% | 71,646 |
| ARMAGH CITY, BANBRIDGE AND CRAIGAVON | 92.9% | 92.9% | 98.1% | 0.3% | 97,766 |
| BELFAST | 92.3% | 95.7% | 99.0% | 0.0% | 174,558 |
| FERMANAGH AND OMAGH | 90.9% | 90.9% | 96.2% | 0.8% | 55,383 |
Related
Source: Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1)).
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026, January 2026 release (r1). Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures represent premises-level coverage, not actual subscriptions or speeds experienced by customers.
94.0% full-fibre across Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is 13pp ahead of the 81% UK average, but that average hides big gaps between its own 11 local authorities.
- Check what is actually available at your own address, a national average hides big local authority and street-level differences. Check your postcode
- See how each of Northern Ireland's 11 local authorities ranks individually, not just the national figure. Full UK rankings
- Learn what full-fibre, gigabit and FWA actually mean before you compare providers. What is full-fibre broadband?
Coverage figures are Ofcom Connected Nations availability data, not a guarantee of service at any single address; always check before switching.