UK Broadband Rankings

Data updated August 2026

These league tables rank all 361 UK local authority districts by their fixed-broadband coverage figures from Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026). Coverage is measured as the percentage of premises with access to each technology, not subscriptions or measured speeds. Northern Ireland consistently outperforms other nations on full-fibre owing to Project Stratum, while some rural Scottish and Welsh councils still have significant gaps to close. Click any local authority name to see its full coverage profile.

The rankings answer

According to Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026, KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF leads UK local-authority full-fibre coverage at 99.6% of premises (#1 of 361), while NA H-EILEANAN SIAR leads the fixed/FWA availability gap at 2.8% (#1 on the same corpus) - the availability leader is not the gap leader. The UK average is 81.0% full-fibre; NA H-EILEANAN SIAR sits at 12.0% at the bottom of the ranked list. Authorities need at least 95.7% full-fibre to make this list (#10 cutoff on the top-20 board).

99.6%
#1 full-fibre, KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF: 2.8%
#1 fixed/FWA gap, NA H-EILEANAN SIAR: 81.0%
UK average full-fibre: 95.7%
bar to make the top 10

Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026). Coverage is premises availability, not subscriptions.

Ranked corpus by nation

Exclusive cut of the 361 local authorities in these league tables by UK nation. Orthogonal to the top-10 ranked list and the 10pt full-fibre distribution below.

England 296 authorities (82%) Scotland 32 authorities (9%) Wales 22 authorities (6%) Northern Ireland 11 authorities (3%)

Full-fibre band inventory

Exclusive coarse bands across the same 361 authorities (≥90% / 70-89% / 50-69% / <50%). Coarser than the 10pt distribution chart: a count inventory, not a histogram focal.

≥90% 72 authorities (20%) 70-89% 218 authorities (60%) 50-69% 63 authorities (17%) <50% 8 authorities (2%)

The bar to make the national top 10

Where the 95.7% top-10 cutoff falls among all 361 UK local authorities, by full-fibre (FTTP) coverage.

95.7% TOP 2.8% only 10 of 361 authorities clear this bar

every UK local authority, bucketed by full-fibre coverage

Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))

The distribution is heavily left-skewed: most authorities cluster between 60% and 90% full-fibre, with a long tail of 8 authorities still below 50% and 72 already at 90% or higher. The national average sits at 81%.

The Full-Fibre Leaders

The ten UK local authorities with the highest full-fibre (FTTP) coverage. The bar to make the national top ten is 95.7% - well above the 81.0% UK average. The leaders are separated by fractions of a percentage point, so a single new cabinet or estate build can reorder the top few positions between Ofcom's twice-yearly releases; treat the #1 spot as illustrative, not a fixed ranking.

Top 10 local authorities by full-fibre coverage

Full-fibre (FTTP) premises coverage, Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026

1

KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF 99.6%

England
2

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA 97.6%

England
3

ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY 96.7%

Northern Ireland
4

BRACKNELL FOREST 96.7%

England
5

COVENTRY 96.7%

England
6

CANNOCK CHASE 96.6%

England
7

MILTON KEYNES 96.4%

England
8

WOLVERHAMPTON 95.9%

England
9

ARDS AND NORTH DOWN 95.7%

Northern Ireland
10

HARTLEPOOL 95.7%

England

Source Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))

Top 20, Full-Fibre Coverage

Local authorities with the highest percentage of premises passed by full-fibre (FTTP) networks. Limited to authorities with at least 10k premises so a single small area can't top the list on a handful of properties; the cohort median is 81.2%.

#	Local Authority	Nation	Full-Fibre %
1	KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF	England	99.6%
2	SOUTHEND-ON-SEA	England	97.6%
3	ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY	Northern Ireland	96.7%
4	BRACKNELL FOREST	England	96.7%
5	COVENTRY	England	96.7%
6	CANNOCK CHASE	England	96.6%
7	MILTON KEYNES	England	96.4%
8	WOLVERHAMPTON	England	95.9%
9	ARDS AND NORTH DOWN	Northern Ireland	95.7%
10	HARTLEPOOL	England	95.7%
11	READING	England	95.6%
12	IPSWICH	England	95.4%
13	LISBURN AND CASTLEREAGH	Northern Ireland	95.4%
14	MID AND EAST ANTRIM	Northern Ireland	95.2%
15	NEWRY, MOURNE AND DOWN	Northern Ireland	95.1%
16	OADBY AND WIGSTON	England	95.0%
17	SOUTHAMPTON	England	95.0%
18	PETERBOROUGH	England	94.8%
19	ROTHERHAM	England	94.7%
20	DERRY CITY AND STRABANE	Northern Ireland	94.5%

Bottom 20, Full-Fibre Coverage

Local authorities with the lowest full-fibre coverage, often rural areas where the build-out business case is hardest to make without public subsidy. Same 10k-premises floor as the top-20 list; the cohort median is 81.2%.

#	Local Authority	Nation	Full-Fibre %
1	NA H-EILEANAN SIAR	Scotland	12.0%
2	SHETLAND ISLANDS	Scotland	20.0%
3	ARGYLL AND BUTE	Scotland	23.9%
4	ORKNEY ISLANDS	Scotland	30.0%
5	PERTH AND KINROSS	Scotland	36.6%
6	HARLOW	England	41.9%
7	ABERDEENSHIRE	Scotland	48.5%
8	REDDITCH	England	49.6%
9	NORTH NORFOLK	England	54.5%
10	WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE	Scotland	54.9%
11	STEVENAGE	England	56.8%
12	OXFORD	England	57.1%
13	TELFORD AND WREKIN	England	57.5%
14	TEST VALLEY	England	58.0%
15	INVERCLYDE	Scotland	58.3%
16	WINCHESTER	England	58.4%
17	SOUTH HAMS	England	58.6%
18	CEREDIGION	Wales	58.7%
19	ANGUS	Scotland	58.9%
20	TANDRIDGE	England	59.5%

Top 20, Gigabit-Capable Coverage

Gigabit-capable broadband includes full-fibre plus upgraded cable networks. Coverage always equals or exceeds the full-fibre figure for the same area. Limited to authorities with at least 10k premises; the cohort median is 89.5%.

#	Local Authority	Nation	Gigabit %
1	KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF	England	99.6%
2	OADBY AND WIGSTON	England	98.4%
3	SOUTHEND-ON-SEA	England	98.3%
4	WOLVERHAMPTON	England	98.2%
5	LUTON	England	98.1%
6	GOSPORT	England	97.9%
7	TAMWORTH	England	97.9%
8	COVENTRY	England	97.7%
9	FAREHAM	England	97.7%
10	LEICESTER	England	97.6%
11	WORTHING	England	97.6%
12	DERBY	England	97.5%
13	BRACKNELL FOREST	England	97.2%
14	DUDLEY	England	97.2%
15	OLDHAM	England	97.2%
16	ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY	Northern Ireland	97.1%
17	ASHFIELD	England	97.0%
18	KNOWSLEY	England	97.0%
19	SOUTHAMPTON	England	97.0%
20	HARTLEPOOL	England	96.9%

Worst 20, fixed/FWA availability gap

These are the local authorities with the largest proportion of premises unable to receive decent broadband from a fixed line or fixed-wireless network. This availability measure is distinct from an individual USO eligibility decision. Limited to authorities with at least 10k premises; the cohort median is 0.0%.

#	Local Authority	Nation	No decent fixed/FWA %
1	NA H-EILEANAN SIAR	Scotland	2.8%
2	ARGYLL AND BUTE	Scotland	2.1%
3	ORKNEY ISLANDS	Scotland	2.0%
4	POWYS	Wales	2.0%
5	SHETLAND ISLANDS	Scotland	1.7%
6	CEREDIGION	Wales	1.6%
7	HIGHLAND	Scotland	1.5%
8	ABERDEENSHIRE	Scotland	1.3%
9	TORRIDGE	England	1.3%
10	WEST DEVON	England	1.3%
11	CARMARTHENSHIRE	Wales	1.1%
12	ANGUS	Scotland	1.0%
13	MID DEVON	England	1.0%
14	MORAY	Scotland	0.9%
15	NORTH NORFOLK	England	0.9%
16	SOUTH HAMS	England	0.9%
17	BRECKLAND	England	0.8%
18	FERMANAGH AND OMAGH	Northern Ireland	0.8%
19	GWYNEDD	Wales	0.7%
20	PERTH AND KINROSS	Scotland	0.7%

Top 20, Full-Fibre Take-Up

Take-up measures the share of all premises that have actually subscribed to a full-fibre service, not just those where it is available. High take-up signals both strong consumer demand and commercial viability for further investment. Limited to authorities with at least 10k premises; the cohort median is 37.0%.

#	Local Authority	Nation	Take-Up %
1	KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF	England	78.0%
2	ARDS AND NORTH DOWN	Northern Ireland	72.0%
3	MID AND EAST ANTRIM	Northern Ireland	71.0%
4	MILTON KEYNES	England	69.0%
5	ARMAGH CITY, BANBRIDGE AND CRAIGAVON	Northern Ireland	68.0%
6	NEWRY, MOURNE AND DOWN	Northern Ireland	68.0%
7	CAUSEWAY COAST AND GLENS	Northern Ireland	66.0%
8	MIDLOTHIAN	Scotland	66.0%
9	ANTRIM AND NEWTOWNABBEY	Northern Ireland	65.0%
10	EAST SUFFOLK	England	64.0%
11	FLINTSHIRE	Wales	64.0%
12	FYLDE	England	63.0%
13	MID SUSSEX	England	63.0%
14	WORCESTER	England	62.0%
15	LISBURN AND CASTLEREAGH	Northern Ireland	61.0%
16	DERRY CITY AND STRABANE	Northern Ireland	60.0%
17	SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE	England	59.0%
18	WYRE	England	59.0%
19	COVENTRY	England	58.0%
20	RIBBLE VALLEY	England	58.0%

Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1)). Open Government Licence v3.0. All figures are percentages of premises. Browse all 361 local authorities.

Download the Ofcom Connected Nations local-authority snapshot cited on this page: ofcom-connected-nations-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0 for this derived file; Ofcom source tables remain OGL).

Ranked lists show the extremes, not your own street

These lists are limited to authorities with at least 10k premises, so a single small area can't top the table on a handful of properties; the cohort median full-fibre coverage is 81.2%.

Look up your own local authority or constituency directly, ranked position doesn't tell you what is available at your address. Check your postcode
Browse every UK local authority, not just the top and bottom 20 shown here. All 361 local authorities
Learn what full-fibre, gigabit and FWA actually mean before comparing 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.

Rankings 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.

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.