Oct 2022 – The Top and Bottom Ten UK Local Authorities by Full Fibre Cover
The latest biannual data from Point Topic has revealed how the top and bottom ten UK local authorities have changed, at least with respect to their coverage of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP networks. As before, Hull remains at the top of the table (99.3%), but the Isles of Scilly (1.5%) are now at the bottom.
At present around 37% of premises across the United Kingdom are able to access a full fibre network (here), which is up from 33% in January 2022. The coverage figure roughly equates to a total of around 11 million premises passed – excluding any duplication of coverage due to overbuild between rival networks (mostly in urban areas).
Naturally, the top ten UK local authorities for FTTP coverage tends to reflect urban areas, particularly those that have been building commercial networks for longer than others (e.g. KCOM’s deployment in Hull). By comparison, the bottom local authorities, with the notable exception of places like Oxford and Luton, are usually much more remote and rural.
We note that FTTP coverage is still lower than 20% of premises in 27% of UK local authorities, so there’s a lot of work left to do over the next few years. However, if we compare this data to the last batch from just 6 months ago (here), there has already been a lot of change. For example, Belfast is still in second place, but its coverage has jumped from 89% to 93.1%, and it’s a similar story for the other locations.
As for the bottom dwellers, most have seen a significant growth in coverage, although the overall level of coverage itself is still small (e.g. Luton has gone from 2% to 3.6%). The exception being remote places like the Isles of Scilly, which haven’t changed at all.
Top and Bottom 10 UK Local Authorities by % of Premises Passed (FTTP)
However, exceptions like Oxford and Luton soon disappear when you re-organise the bottom local authorities to reflect gigabit capability, which requires us to look at coverage by both FTTP and Virgin Media’s existing Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network.
Bottom UK Local Authorities by % of Premises Without Gigabit
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and Linkedin.
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Oxford is a bit of a catchall and without further explanation would cover the City of Oxford and the county of Oxfordshire. I suspect the county has a higher availability than the city does as OPenreach and the altnets are not interested in doing anything there.
A big chunk of Oxford does at least appear on Openreach’s rollout map for FTTP.
Oxford in this case seems to clearly indicate the area of Oxford Council, which is different from Oxfordshire. As a resident I can confirm that Oxford and the few miles around it within the area of Oxford Council has basically no fibre availability other than in new builds. Where as just a mile or two away in Oxfordshire, fibre availability is high.
I have no idea why this is, but I suspect it relates to a lack of investment or a failure to apply for grants etc by the city council, as the city should be much easier to fibre that the rural surrounding area. Broadband speeds and availability in Oxford itself are shockingly bad, the worst I’ve seen in the UK.
@JC one wonders if the University impacts that. In fact, I think given that basically, every University building has access to at least gigabit networking with most having substantially more, then the numbers are as sound as Kwasi Kwarteng budget.
The university’s networking isn’t broadband. These figures are about broadband.
Cityfibre have been working around Bracknell for the past year or so now.
I’ve been waiting patiently, keeping tabs on one.network, and finally, I got the letter through door that work was due take place within the next 7 days… That was around two months ago now. Nothing at all. And no scheduled works on my street for the next three months according to one.network.
It’s taking too long.
Hi Mark
I live in a 2016 built 9 property private street(SM53AY) which is a few metre from the existing street SM53SU where community fibre has extended its full fibre rollout but not to our street.
I tried to get answer but they have not provided answer.Will we be the blackspot for full fibre rollout.
Can you please try to find answer for us.
Thanks.
I think everyone in your street would need to sign a wayleave agreement that grants permission to include your homes/street in the rollout. Probably too late.
The wayleave, and find out about any ducting in the street and who owns it.
If you can present them evidence that a) wayleave is in place, and b) the ducting is there and usable … they may bite.
I live in Belfast and I work in a office (home based) where everyone is based in Belfast of over 400 people. I don’t know anyone who has had a successful installation from openreach of full fibre. Of the 400 odd people I’d say more than 30 including me have tried ordering it but on the day openreach show up with a wide variety of excuses and don’t do the installation. This is across apartments and houses. I’d be very interested to see how how many people in Belfast if any actually have FTTP installed by openreach.
I know quite a few people with OR FTTP in Belfast, no issues I am aware of, although we did need some extra work to get it into our house which took a few weeks.
My family in Coleraine also all have FTTP, the rollout over here in urban areas seems to be pretty decent. Even compared to NW London where we lived until recently, we only had FTTP last year when g.network dug up the road countless times.
MS3 Networks are just starting to roll-out their FTTP Network to Grimsby, where I live (it’s also the largest town in N.E. Lincs). So, I expect Fibre coverage to rapidly increase in our part of the country.
They’ve also posted on Facebook that the first few homes have gone live, and I hope to change provider once they reach my area. The only other option for Gigabit here, is Virgin Media, with their inferior upload speeds.
Can we see the entire data set without subscribing? would be interested to see where Wiltshire is on the list.