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.
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.
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 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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% |
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.