{
 "name": "UK Broadband in Numbers",
 "edition": {
  "no": 1,
  "label": "Edition 1",
  "month": "October 2026",
  "figuresTo": "2026-10-26",
  "figuresToLabel": "26 October 2026",
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "next": "2026-11-02",
  "nextLabel": "Monday 2 November 2026",
  "url": "broadbandswitch.uk/reports/uk-broadband-statistics/",
  "pdf": "uk-broadband-in-numbers-october-2026.pdf",
  "author": "Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith",
  "authorUrl": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmartinsmith/",
  "authorRole": "Founder, BroadbandSwitch.uk",
  "betaUntil": "2027-01-01"
 },
 "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/uk-broadband-statistics/",
 "author": {
  "name": "Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith",
  "role": "Founder, BroadbandSwitch.uk",
  "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmartinsmith/"
 },
 "publisher": {
  "name": "BroadbandSwitch.uk Data Lab",
  "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/",
  "contact": "editorial@broadbandswitch.uk"
 },
 "licence": "CC BY 4.0 (Data Lab figures); OGL v3.0 via source (Ofcom, ONS, BDUK)",
 "credit": "BroadbandSwitch.uk Data Lab",
 "generated": "2026-10-26",
 "metrics": [
  {
   "n": 1,
   "id": "full-fibre-availability",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Full fibre availability",
   "short": "Full fibre",
   "big": "82",
   "unit": "%",
   "takeaway": "Four in five homes can now order full fibre",
   "sub": "24.9 million homes can order full fibre, 1.2 million more than six months earlier.  Rural homes trail at 66%, against 84% in towns and cities.",
   "sowhat": "If you have not checked your address since last year, check again: 1.2 million more homes were added between July 2025 and January 2026, and most towns and cities are now covered.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "check again",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-availability-checker.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+4 pts vs Jul 2025",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Full fibre is the connection the UK is moving everyone onto.  It is faster, more reliable in bad weather, and it is what the old copper phone network is being replaced with.",
   "method": "Share of UK residential premises where full fibre (FTTP) can be ordered.  2016 to 2023 are annual Connected Nations figures from the Data Lab master dataset; January 2024 onwards are Ofcom's half-yearly figures from the Spring 2026 tables.  Rural and urban split from Ofcom's January 2026 coverage file (residential premises: rural 65.6%, urban 84.4%).  Outlook: Ofcom Planned Network Deployments 2026.  Councils: Ofcom open data, January 2026, residential."
  },
  {
   "n": 2,
   "id": "gigabit-availability",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Gigabit-capable availability",
   "short": "Gigabit",
   "big": "89",
   "unit": "%",
   "takeaway": "Nine in ten homes can get gigabit speeds",
   "sub": "27.1 million homes, up from 87% in July 2025: 82% can order full fibre, and gigabit cable adds another 7% where there is no fibre yet.  In July 2025, 57% had a choice of two or more gigabit networks.  The target is 99% by 2032.",
   "sowhat": "Nine in ten homes could order a gigabit line by January 2026, so for most people speed is no longer the limit; price and what you actually need are, and gigabit deals on our site started from £15 a month in the October 2026 snapshot.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "gigabit deals on our site started from £15 a month",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/gigabit-broadband-deals.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+2 pts vs Jul 2025",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Gigabit-capable lines can carry 1,000 Mbps.  This includes full fibre and upgraded cable, so it runs ahead of the full fibre figure.",
   "method": "Share of UK residential premises with at least one gigabit-capable network (full fibre or DOCSIS 3.1 cable).  2018 to 2023 from the Data Lab master dataset; January 2024 onwards from Ofcom's Spring 2026 tables.  Choice of networks: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, share of residential premises with access to more than one gigabit-capable network (57%, July 2025).  Target line: Project Gigabit's 99% by 2032."
  },
  {
   "n": 3,
   "id": "openreach-footprint",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Openreach full fibre footprint",
   "short": "Openreach FTTP",
   "big": "23.4",
   "unit": "m premises",
   "takeaway": "Openreach is 1.6 million premises short of its December target",
   "sub": "25 million targeted by December 2026, and up to 30 million by 2030.  514,000 added in the quarter to June, well below the 2.6 million Openreach built in the six months to March 2026 (about 1.3 million a quarter).",
   "sowhat": "Openreach's build sets when BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone customers can move to fibre, so the slower quarter to June 2026 meant the last 1.6 million premises waiting longer; Openreach said in October 2026 it had passed 24 million, with the next audited figure due on 5 November.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "+514k in the quarter",
   "asof": "30 Jun 2026, published 23 Jul 2026",
   "pub": "2026-07-23",
   "next": "2026-11-05",
   "nextLabel": "5 November 2026 (BT half-year results)",
   "src": "BT Group trading update",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/07/bt-update-openreach-lose-192k-uk-broadband-lines-as-fttp-covers-23-4m.html",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Quarterly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Openreach builds the network most providers sell on, so its pace sets the pace for BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and others.",
   "method": "Premises passed by Openreach FTTP at quarter end, from BT Group results and trading updates, using the decimal figures ISPreview takes from BT's KPI disclosures.  June 2025 is plotted at 19.0m because BT said only 'more than 19m'.  Take-up is FTTP connections as a share of premises passed."
  },
  {
   "n": 4,
   "id": "altnet-footprint",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Altnet full fibre footprint",
   "short": "Altnets",
   "big": "19.7",
   "unit": "m premises",
   "takeaway": "Alternative networks pass 19.7 million premises, counting overlaps",
   "sub": "Up 20% in a year, with more than 3.5 million live connections.  More than 5.4 million premises have altnet fibre and no Openreach or Virgin fibre at all.",
   "sowhat": "Where an altnet has built there is a second network to choose from, and that is where the cheapest full fibre deals on our site come from (October 2026 snapshot).",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "cheapest full fibre deals on our site",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/cheapest-broadband-deals.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+3.3m in 2025",
   "asof": "2025 data, published 11 Mar 2026",
   "pub": "2026-03-11",
   "next": "2027-03-10",
   "nextLabel": "March 2027 (Point Topic / INCA annual report)",
   "src": "Point Topic / INCA Annual Report 2026",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.point-topic.com/post/point-topic-inca-annual-report-2026",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Annual (March)",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Altnets bring competition and often lower prices.  Where they overlap each other, some will merge or fail, which is why consolidation is one of the stories to watch.",
   "method": "Premises passed by alternative networks, ready for service, and live connections.  The figure does not remove overlap between altnets, so it counts some premises more than once.  2019 to 2023 from the Data Lab master dataset."
  },
  {
   "n": 5,
   "id": "project-gigabit",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Project Gigabit delivered",
   "short": "Project Gigabit",
   "big": "340,880",
   "unit": "premises reached",
   "takeaway": "Fibre has reached two in five of the homes and businesses under contract",
   "sub": "Of 861,890 under contract (40%) across 38 contracts in the £5bn programme, up 22,880 in a month.  The target is 99% gigabit coverage by 2032.",
   "sowhat": "This is the taxpayer-funded build for homes the market would not reach: by 17 October 2026, two in five of the premises under contract had a gigabit-capable connection and three in five had not yet been recorded as built.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "+22,880 in a month",
   "asof": "17 Oct 2026 data, published 23 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-23",
   "next": "2026-11-23",
   "nextLabel": "Late November 2026 (November edition)",
   "src": "BDUK Project Gigabit monthly data",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/premises-contracted-and-built-project-gigabit-contracts",
   "kind": "programme",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Project Gigabit pays for fibre in places the market will not reach on its own, mostly rural homes.  It is how the last 10% get connected.",
   "method": "Premises reached (BDUK's table calls them \"built\") under the government's Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy contracts, from the October 2026 edition (snapshot 17 October 2026, published 23 October 2026), rounded to the nearest 10 by BDUK, which says the figures are not directly comparable with its official statistics, carry a variable time lag between delivery and data ingestion, and should not be used to judge contractual milestones."
  },
  {
   "n": 6,
   "id": "bduk-delivery",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Premises reached with public subsidy",
   "short": "BDUK delivery",
   "big": "1.46",
   "unit": "m premises",
   "takeaway": "Public money has brought gigabit broadband to 1.46 million premises",
   "sub": "Cumulative premises given gigabit-capable coverage through BDUK subsidy by 30 June 2026, across Project Gigabit contracts, earlier programmes and vouchers.  192,570 were added in the year to March 2026, 16% of them through vouchers.",
   "sowhat": "Nearly 1.5 million premises, mostly rural, had gigabit broadband by 30 June 2026 because public money paid for the build.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "+46,300 in the quarter to June",
   "asof": "To 30 Jun 2026, published 17 Sep 2026",
   "pub": "2026-09-17",
   "next": "2026-12-17",
   "nextLabel": "Expected December 2026 (quarter to September 2026)",
   "src": "BDUK delivery performance, official statistics",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/bduk-delivery-performance-quarterly-april-2026-to-june-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Quarterly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "This is the official count of what taxpayer-funded build has delivered.  It sits alongside the Project Gigabit contract tracker, which counts only the current contracts.",
   "method": "Building Digital UK, \"BDUK delivery performance, quarterly: April 2026 to June 2026\" (management information as of 3 September 2026): estimated cumulative premises with gigabit-capable coverage through BDUK subsidy; BDUK's estimate for the quarter is 46,300 (the cumulative total rose 44,500 because earlier quarters were revised).  Annual figures from \"BDUK delivery performance, annual: April 2025 to March 2026\".  The voucher scheme closed to new applications on 31 August 2026.  Open Government Licence v3.0."
  },
  {
   "n": 7,
   "id": "no-decent-broadband",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "Homes that cannot get decent broadband",
   "short": "No decent line",
   "big": "39,000",
   "unit": "premises",
   "takeaway": "Fewer than 40,000 premises still lack a decent line",
   "sub": "Without 10 Mbps from a fixed or fixed-wireless line, down from 1.1 million in 2017.  About 4,000 once low-cost satellite is counted.",
   "sowhat": "Fewer than 40,000 premises were left without a decent line in January 2026, down from 1.1 million in 2017; if yours is one, the broadband Universal Service Obligation gives you the right to request a connection, subject to eligibility and a cost cap.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "-5,000 vs Jul 2025",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "December 2026",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Decent broadband is Ofcom's floor: 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up.  Below it, video calls, streaming and online forms become a struggle.",
   "method": "All premises unable to get 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload from fixed or fixed-wireless networks (Ofcom headline).  Nation split uses Ofcom's residential local authority file, so it adds up to 30,900 rather than 39,000.  Earlier years from the Data Lab master dataset."
  },
  {
   "n": 8,
   "id": "5g-coverage",
   "sec": "coverage",
   "name": "5G coverage outside homes",
   "short": "5G coverage",
   "big": "64",
   "unit": "% from all four",
   "takeaway": "Nearly two in three premises now get 5G from all four networks",
   "sub": "Share of UK premises with outdoor 5G coverage from every mobile network in January 2026, up from 47% in July 2025.  From at least one network it reached 97% in July 2025.  Each network alone covers between 76% and 94%.",
   "sowhat": "For nearly two in three premises (64% in January 2026), 5G from any of the four networks is now a real alternative or back-up to a fixed line, and 5G home broadband needs no landline at all.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "5G home broadband",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/5g-home-broadband-deals.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+17 pts in six months",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "5G is now a real alternative to a fixed line for some homes, and the fallback when one is not available.  Coverage from all four networks is the test of real choice.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 update, key findings: 5G coverage outside premises from all four mobile network operators (High Confidence level), January 2026 against July 2025; range of individual operators' coverage.  \"At least one network\" figure from Connected Nations 2025 (July 2025, High Confidence).  4G geographic coverage from the same reports."
  },
  {
   "n": 9,
   "id": "fixed-broadband-lines",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "UK fixed broadband lines",
   "short": "Lines",
   "big": "29.5",
   "unit": "m lines",
   "takeaway": "29.5 million lines, and still growing slowly",
   "sub": "Residential and small business.  Up 298,000 on the year and 41,000 in the quarter.",
   "sowhat": "The market has all but stopped growing (up 1.0% in the year to June 2026), so providers can only grow by winning customers from each other, which is good news for anyone willing to switch.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "switch",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/switch-broadband-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+1.0% year on year",
   "asof": "Jun 2026 data, published 14 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-14",
   "next": "2027-01-15",
   "nextLabel": "January 2027 (Q3 data)",
   "src": "Ofcom market data",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/telecoms-research/telecoms-data-updates/telecommunications-market-data/telecommunications-market-data-update-q2-2026.pdf",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Quarterly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "The size of the market.  Growth has slowed to about 1% a year because nearly every home that wants broadband already has it.",
   "method": "Fixed broadband lines at quarter end, residential and small business.  Annual points 2019 to 2024 from the Data Lab master dataset."
  },
  {
   "n": 10,
   "id": "full-fibre-takeup",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "Full fibre take-up where available",
   "short": "Full fibre take-up",
   "big": "47",
   "unit": "%",
   "takeaway": "Nearly half of homes that can get full fibre now have it",
   "sub": "Ofcom counts 12.4 million live full fibre connections, 47% of the premises that can get it; applied to the 24.9 million homes covered, that is about 11.7 million homes.  From 78% in Hull to 19% in Kensington and Chelsea.",
   "sowhat": "More than half of the homes that could have full fibre had not ordered it by January 2026; if you are on copper where fibre is available, the price gap on our site was just £2.50 a month in October 2026 (see Typical deal price), so check full fibre at your address.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "check full fibre at your address",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-availability-checker.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+5 pts vs Jul 2025",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "December 2026",
   "src": "Ofcom, BT Group, INCA",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Fibre in the street only helps if people order it.  Take-up is the number that tells you whether the build is paying off.",
   "method": "Ofcom: full fibre connections (residential and business) as a share of all premises that can get it, 47% in January 2026.  The 11.7 million homes figure is the Data Lab's estimate (24.9 million homes covered times 47%), not an Ofcom count.  Councils: Ofcom open data, January 2026 (take-up as a share of full fibre coverage, 361 councils: highest Hull 78%, lowest Kensington and Chelsea 19%), with July 2025 for change.  Networks: BT-reported Openreach take-up at June 2026 and INCA's altnet figure for 2025, on different dates and bases."
  },
  {
   "n": 11,
   "id": "fibre-not-upgraded",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "Fibre-ready homes not yet upgraded",
   "short": "Not upgraded",
   "big": "13.9",
   "unit": "m premises",
   "takeaway": "13.9 million premises could switch to full fibre today and have not",
   "sub": "Ofcom counts 26.3 million homes and businesses that can order full fibre and 12.4 million live connections.  The gap is the fibre nobody has ordered yet.",
   "sowhat": "13.9 million homes and businesses could move to full fibre today (January 2026 data), and in October 2026 full fibre's typical price on our site is just £2.50 a month above FTTC's: check full fibre at your address.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "check full fibre at your address",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-availability-checker.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "-0.7m in six months (approx.)",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Computed from Ofcom",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "computed",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Millions of people are paying for copper-based broadband while fibre sits outside the door, often at the same price or less.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations update, Spring 2026 (January 2026 data): 26,311,581 premises of all types can order full fibre (Ofcom's coverage file, Premise type All) and 12.4 million connections are live (47% of premises with access), a gap of 13.9 million.  July 2025 on the same basis: Ofcom's 10.6 million connections were 42% of premises with access, implying about 25.2 million passed and a gap of about 14.6 million, so the six-month change is approximate.  Our report Should you upgrade to full fibre uses the same 13.9 million."
  },
  {
   "n": 12,
   "id": "connections-by-technology",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "Connections by technology",
   "short": "Tech mix",
   "big": "12.4",
   "unit": "m on full fibre",
   "takeaway": "12.4 million of 29.5 million lines are now full fibre",
   "sub": "Cable 5.3m and ADSL 1.8m are Ofcom's 2024 split.  The remaining 10.0m is mostly FTTC and is an estimate.",
   "sowhat": "Two in five lines were full fibre by January 2026; ADSL was down to 1.8 million lines by 2024 and falling, and the copper-based lines left are the ones that will move during the switch-off years.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Full fibre share 42%",
   "asof": "FTTP Jan 2026; lines Jun 2026; cable and ADSL split 2024",
   "pub": "2026-10-14",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Computed from Ofcom",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/telecoms-research/telecoms-data-updates/telecommunications-market-data/telecommunications-market-data-update-q2-2026.pdf",
   "kind": "computed",
   "cad": "Annual split",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Shows how far the country has moved off copper.  ADSL is close to the end of its life, and FTTC follows once full fibre is everywhere.",
   "method": "Full fibre connections from Connected Nations (12.4 million, January 2026, residential and business), cable and ADSL lines from Ofcom's 2024 split (Telecommunications market data update, Table 16: 5,269,000 and 1,809,000), total lines from the Q2 2026 market update (29,474,000 residential and small business, published 14 October 2026).  FTTC and other is the remainder, so it carries the error from mixing dates and bases; Ofcom also says its own FTTx line count is understated."
  },
  {
   "n": 13,
   "id": "market-share",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "Market share, top providers",
   "short": "Market share",
   "big": "28.4",
   "unit": "% BT Group",
   "takeaway": "BT Group still serves more than a quarter of homes",
   "sub": "Sky 19.9%, Virgin Media O2 18.8%, all altnets 12.4%, TalkTalk 11.1%, Vodafone 6.3%.  Sky only started selling broadband in 2006 and now holds one line in five.",
   "sowhat": "Four groups still served most homes at the end of 2025, but altnets now hold one line in eight, so there are more real alternatives than a few years ago.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Altnets growing",
   "asof": "H2 2025, published 27 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-27",
   "next": "2026-11-20",
   "nextLabel": "Late November 2026, after the quarterly results round",
   "src": "Company results, Data Lab compilation",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/uk-broadband-market-2000-2030/",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Half-yearly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Who sells broadband to the UK.  A market with four big groups and a growing tail of altnets.",
   "method": "Retail broadband customers by group from company reports, compiled for the UK Broadband Market 2000 to 2030 report (28.94 million total, H2 2025: BT Group 8.22 million, Sky 5.77 million, Virgin Media O2 5.45 million, altnets 3.60 million, TalkTalk 3.20 million, Vodafone 1.83 million).  Others is the remainder.  The groups have since reported the June 2026 quarter; the shares are refreshed after each full results round."
  },
  {
   "n": 14,
   "id": "no-internet-home",
   "sec": "takeup",
   "name": "Adults with no internet at home",
   "short": "No internet at home",
   "big": "6",
   "unit": "% of adults",
   "takeaway": "One adult in sixteen still has no internet at home",
   "sub": "Ofcom's media literacy tracker found 6% of UK adults without internet access at home in autumn 2025, unchanged on the year.  Two in three of them are aged 75 or over, and four in five live in C2DE households (Ofcom's lower social grades).",
   "sowhat": "One adult in sixteen had no internet at home in autumn 2025, mostly older people and those in the lower social grades, and they are the ones the switch-off and social tariffs most need to reach.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Unchanged on 2024",
   "asof": "Fieldwork Sep to Nov 2025, published 2 Apr 2026",
   "pub": "2026-04-02",
   "next": "2027-04-01",
   "nextLabel": "Spring 2027 (next report)",
   "src": "Ofcom Adults' Media Use and Attitudes 2026",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-habits-adults/adults-media-use-and-attitudes/",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Coverage can reach 99% and still leave millions offline.  This is the share of adults the broadband market has not reached at all, and it is where social tariffs and switch-off support matter most.",
   "method": "Ofcom, Adults' Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026, from the Adults' Media Literacy Tracker (7,533 UK adults aged 16 and over, fieldwork 29 September to 28 November 2025): share without internet access at home, and the age and household profile of that group.  Ofcom's Technology Tracker 2025 put the same measure at 5%."
  },
  {
   "n": 15,
   "id": "cheapest-deal",
   "sec": "price",
   "name": "Cheapest deal on our site",
   "short": "Cheapest deal",
   "big": "£13.50",
   "unit": "a month",
   "takeaway": "The cheapest deal on our site is £13.50 a month",
   "sub": "For 12 months, then £18 (4th Utility, 150 Mbps on CityFibre).  The cheapest flat price is £14 (Community Fibre).",
   "sowhat": "Broadband can cost less than £15 a month (deals on our site, 1 October 2026); if your bill is well above that for a basic connection, there is room to save: see the cheapest deals at your postcode.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "see the cheapest deals at your postcode",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/cheapest-broadband-deals.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Same as September",
   "asof": "Snapshot 1 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-01",
   "next": "2026-11-01",
   "nextLabel": "1 November snapshot, in Edition 2 on Monday 2 November",
   "src": "BroadbandSwitch.uk deals snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-deals/",
   "kind": "own",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": true,
   "scope": "deals",
   "why": "The cheapest deal we list.  Social tariffs, for people on some benefits, can be cheaper still: see Bills and help.",
   "method": "Lowest advertised (headline) monthly price across residential, non-social, broadband-only deals in our feed on the 1st of the month."
  },
  {
   "n": 16,
   "id": "typical-price",
   "sec": "price",
   "name": "Typical deal price",
   "short": "Typical deal price",
   "big": "£28",
   "unit": "median",
   "takeaway": "Half the deals on our site cost £24 to £34 a month",
   "sub": "Median advertised price across 324 deals from 29 providers.  The middle half sit between £24 and £34.  Full fibre's median is now just £2.50 a month above FTTC's.",
   "sowhat": "Around £28 a month bought a typical deal on our site on 1 October 2026; if your bill is above £34, you are paying more than three quarters of the deals on offer, so compare deals at your postcode.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "compare deals at your postcode",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/compare/"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "-£1 vs September",
   "asof": "Snapshot 1 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-01",
   "next": "2026-11-01",
   "nextLabel": "1 November snapshot, in Edition 2 on Monday 2 November",
   "src": "BroadbandSwitch.uk deals snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-deals/",
   "kind": "own",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": true,
   "scope": "deals",
   "why": "What a normal deal on our site costs right now.  If you pay much more than the middle of this range, it is worth checking.",
   "method": "Advertised (headline) monthly price across residential, non-social, broadband-only deals on the 1st of the month.  Excludes 16 deals whose first month is free (headline £0).  Provider ranges use providers with five or more deals."
  },
  {
   "n": 17,
   "id": "gigabit-price",
   "sec": "price",
   "name": "Price of a gigabit",
   "short": "Gigabit price",
   "big": "£15",
   "unit": "a month",
   "takeaway": "Gigabit deals on our site start at £15 a month",
   "sub": "For 12 months, then £24 (Rise Fibre, 1 Gbps on CityFibre).  The cheapest flat price is £19 (toob 900).  98 deals of 900 Mbps or more are live, at a typical £3.05 per 100 Mbps against £7.80 across all deals.",
   "sowhat": "Gigabit is no longer a luxury: from £15 a month on our site in October 2026, it can cost less than many slower deals, so compare gigabit deals before settling for less.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "compare gigabit deals",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/gigabit-broadband-deals.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "-£4 vs September",
   "asof": "Snapshot 1 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-01",
   "next": "2026-11-01",
   "nextLabel": "1 November snapshot, in Edition 2 on Monday 2 November",
   "src": "BroadbandSwitch.uk deals snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-deals/",
   "kind": "own",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": true,
   "scope": "deals",
   "why": "Gigabit used to be a premium product.  It is now cheaper than many slower deals.",
   "method": "Cheapest advertised monthly price among residential, non-social, broadband-only deals of 900 Mbps or more; the count of such deals (98, of which 93 charge for the first month, which is the 900 Mbps+ group on the Typical price card); median advertised price per 100 Mbps for 900 Mbps+ deals (£3.05) and for all deals (£7.80), leaving out first-month-free offers."
  },
  {
   "n": 18,
   "id": "mid-contract-rises",
   "sec": "price",
   "name": "Mid-contract price rises",
   "short": "Price rises",
   "big": "77",
   "unit": "% of deals with known terms",
   "takeaway": "Three in four deals that state their price terms carry a built-in rise",
   "sub": "Of the 248 deals on our site that spell out what happens to the price during the contract, 192 carry a fixed rise, averaging £3.37 a month and most often £4; the other 56 are fixed for the term.  A further 92 deals do not state a step in our feed.  Rises must be set out in pounds and pence under Ofcom's rule in force since 17 January 2025.",
   "sowhat": "Three in four deals with stated terms (1 October 2026 snapshot) cost more in year two, typically £3 to £4 a month extra, so compare the follow-on price, not just the headline; our price rise tracker lists each provider's rise.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "price rise tracker",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-price-rises-2026.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "From 63% in September, same basis",
   "asof": "Snapshot 1 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-01",
   "next": "2026-11-01",
   "nextLabel": "1 November snapshot, in Edition 2 on Monday 2 November",
   "src": "BroadbandSwitch.uk deals snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-deals/",
   "kind": "own",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": true,
   "scope": "deals",
   "why": "The price you see is often not the price you pay in year two.  This tells you how common that is, and how big the step is.",
   "method": "Among residential, non-social, broadband-only deals whose rise step is stated in our feed (248 of 340 in October), the share with a step above zero (192, 77%) and the size of each step.  Deals with no stated step are left out of the share, so it is not a share of all deals."
  },
  {
   "n": 19,
   "id": "speeds-on-offer",
   "sec": "price",
   "name": "Speeds on offer",
   "short": "Speeds on offer",
   "big": "306",
   "unit": "Mbps advertised",
   "takeaway": "The typical deal on our site advertises 306 Mbps",
   "sub": "Median advertised download speed across the 340 residential broadband-only deals on our site (305.5 Mbps, rounded).  Nearly three in ten of them are gigabit deals.  Most households need far less than this: our speed calculator works out how much.",
   "sowhat": "Deals now advertise about 300 Mbps as standard (1 October 2026 snapshot), far more than most households use; paying for the speed you actually need is the easiest saving, and our speed calculator works it out in a minute.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "speed calculator",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-speed-calculator.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "From 362 Mbps in September",
   "asof": "Snapshot 1 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-01",
   "next": "2026-11-01",
   "nextLabel": "1 November snapshot, in Edition 2 on Monday 2 November",
   "src": "BroadbandSwitch.uk deals snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-deals/",
   "kind": "own",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": true,
   "scope": "deals",
   "why": "Many households pay for more speed than they use.  Knowing what you need is the quickest way to save, and this shows what the market is pushing.",
   "method": "Median advertised download speed across residential, non-social, broadband-only deals listed on broadbandswitch.uk on the 1st of the month (340 in October; the median falls between 305 and 306 Mbps), and the count of deals in each speed band among the 324 that charge for the first month."
  },
  {
   "n": 20,
   "id": "loyalty-penalty",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Loyalty penalty",
   "short": "Loyalty penalty",
   "big": "£7 to £9",
   "unit": "a month",
   "takeaway": "Staying in contract saves £7 to £9 a month",
   "sub": "What in-contract customers save against the price out-of-contract customers pay, June 2025: £28.66 against £35.86 a month for broadband on its own.  The gap between promoted and list prices on broadband-and-landline bundles runs from £4 (standard) to £8 (ultrafast).",
   "sowhat": "Letting a contract roll over cost £7 to £9 a month in June 2025; re-contracting or switching gets it back.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "switching",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/switch-broadband-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Up to £9.28 with TV and landline",
   "asof": "June 2025 data, published 26 Feb 2026",
   "pub": "2026-02-26",
   "next": "2026-12-15",
   "nextLabel": "December 2026 (provisional)",
   "src": "Ofcom Pricing and consumer engagement 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/pricing-and-consumer-engagement",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Customers who let their contract roll over pay more for the same service.  Switching or re-contracting closes the gap.",
   "method": "Ofcom, Pricing and consumer engagement 2025, Figure 29: average monthly price paid by in-contract and out-of-contract customers by bundle, Q2 2025 (nominal).  Headline range as stated by Ofcom (£7 to £9 for standalone, dual-play and triple-play).  Promoted-to-list gap for dual-play from the same report.  Average promoted discount: 36% for standalone cable, 18% for standalone full fibre (Q2 2025)."
  },
  {
   "n": 21,
   "id": "out-of-contract",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Broadband customers out of contract",
   "short": "Out of contract",
   "big": "28",
   "unit": "% of customers",
   "takeaway": "More than a quarter of broadband customers are out of contract",
   "sub": "Around 6.4 million of 23 million fixed broadband customers were out of contract on at least one service in their bundle at the end of June 2025, unchanged on the year.  The share is highest, 39%, for homes with broadband and a landline only.",
   "sowhat": "If you cannot remember when your contract ended, you may be one of the 6.4 million who were paying list price in June 2025: see what out-of-contract customers pay.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "see what out-of-contract customers pay",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/out-of-contract-broadband-prices.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Unchanged on 2024",
   "asof": "June 2025 data, published 26 Feb 2026",
   "pub": "2026-02-26",
   "next": "2026-12-15",
   "nextLabel": "December 2026 (provisional)",
   "src": "Ofcom Pricing and consumer engagement 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/pricing-and-consumer-engagement",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Out of contract usually means paying the full list price.  Every one of these customers could switch or re-contract today, and most would save.",
   "method": "Ofcom, Pricing and consumer engagement 2025, Figure 27: number and proportion of in-contract and out-of-contract customers for standalone and bundled fixed broadband at the end of Q2 2025 and Q2 2024, from provider data.  28% is Ofcom's headline; the bundle shares are from the report's chart data."
  },
  {
   "n": 22,
   "id": "afford-broadband",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Households finding broadband hard to afford",
   "short": "Hard to afford",
   "big": "7",
   "unit": "% of households",
   "takeaway": "Seven in every hundred broadband households struggle to pay for it",
   "sub": "Share of fixed broadband households that found it difficult to afford their service in October 2025, against 5% for mobile.  Ofcom's tracker now runs twice a year, in April and October.",
   "sowhat": "Seven in a hundred broadband households struggled to pay in October 2025, and social tariffs exist for exactly this group; most eligible homes have not taken one (see the social tariffs).",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "see the social tariffs",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/social-tariffs-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Mobile 5%",
   "asof": "October 2025 wave, reported 26 Feb 2026",
   "pub": "2026-02-26",
   "next": "2026-11-13",
   "nextLabel": "13 November 2026 (October 2026 wave; April 2026 wave on our list)",
   "src": "Ofcom Communications Affordability Tracker",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/affordability-tracker",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Prices and inflation are one half of the story; whether people can actually pay is the other.  This is Ofcom's own measure of it.",
   "method": "Ofcom Communications Affordability Tracker, October 2025 wave, as reported in Ofcom's Pricing and consumer engagement report 2025 (26 February 2026): share of fixed broadband households that found it difficult to afford their service.  Ofcom published the April 2026 wave on 14 May 2026 in data tables we have not yet read; it is on our list.  The tracker moved from quarterly to six-monthly in 2025."
  },
  {
   "n": 23,
   "id": "broadband-inflation",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Broadband inflation",
   "short": "Internet prices",
   "big": "12.1",
   "unit": "% rise in a year",
   "takeaway": "Internet prices are rising three and a half times faster than inflation",
   "sub": "The ONS price index for internet access services rose 12.1% in the year to September 2026, against 3.5% for all prices.  Bundled telecoms rose 5.3% and the wider communication group 5.8%.",
   "sowhat": "Broadband prices, as the ONS measures them, rose 12.1% in the year to September 2026 while prices overall rose 3.5%; that gap is why the saving sits in switching rather than staying put.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "switching",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/switch-broadband-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "vs 3.5% for all prices",
   "asof": "September 2026, published 21 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-21",
   "next": "2026-11-18",
   "nextLabel": "18 November 2026 (October data)",
   "src": "ONS consumer price inflation",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/l7rs/mm23",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Shows whether broadband bills are rising faster or slower than everything else.  April's built-in price rises push the internet index up for the whole year that follows.",
   "method": "ONS CPI 12-month rates: L7RS (08.3.0.3 internet access provision services), L7RT (08.3.0.4 bundled telecommunication services), D7GF (division 08, communication) and all-items CPI (D7G7).  2015=100, COICOP 1999.  Read from the ONS time series pages on 23 October 2026."
  },
  {
   "n": 24,
   "id": "bills-compared",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Broadband against other household bills",
   "short": "Bills compared",
   "big": "-46",
   "unit": "% real-terms price of 300 to 999 Mbps broadband, 2020 to 2025",
   "takeaway": "Energy and water bills have soared since 2020; the price of fast broadband has nearly halved in real terms",
   "sub": "Electricity is up 56%, water 69% and gas 76% since January 2020 (ONS, to September 2026), against 33% for all prices.  Between 2020 and 2025 Ofcom finds a 300 to 999 Mbps connection fell from £68 to £37 a month at July 2025 prices, and every speed tier fell in real terms.  The ONS index of internet access prices is up 54% since January 2020, with its steps each April, which is why switching, not staying put, captures the saving.",
   "sowhat": "Unlike energy and water, broadband is a bill you can bring down: the price of a fast connection nearly halved in real terms between 2020 and 2025 for anyone who takes a new deal.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "takes a new deal",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/compare/"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Ofcom: -6% real terms in 2025",
   "asof": "ONS to Sep 2026; Ofcom report of Feb 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-21",
   "next": "2026-11-18",
   "nextLabel": "18 November 2026 (ONS October data); Ofcom pricing report yearly, next early 2027",
   "src": "ONS CPI and Ofcom Pricing and consumer engagement 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/pricing-and-consumer-engagement",
   "kind": "compiled",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Puts the broadband bill beside the bills nobody can switch out of.  Energy and water prices are set by caps and regulators; broadband is a market, and the price of a given speed has been falling while list prices for staying put have risen.",
   "method": "ONS CPI indices, 2015 = 100, monthly to September 2026: all items (D7BT), electricity (04.5.1, D7DT), gas (04.5.2, D7DU), water supply (04.4.1, D7DR), internet access provision services (08.3.0.3, L7GK) and bundled telecommunication services (08.3.0.4, L7GL), with the official 12-month rates D7G7, D7I7, D7I8, D7I5, L7RS and L7RT.  Real-terms changes since January 2020 divide each index by all-items CPI.  Speed-tier prices are Ofcom's Figure 19 (OECD basket, weighted average monthly price of standalone fixed broadband excluding set-up, CPI-adjusted to July 2025 prices), from Pricing and consumer engagement 2025, published 26 February 2026.  Read on 24 October 2026."
  },
  {
   "n": 25,
   "id": "social-tariffs",
   "sec": "bills",
   "name": "Social tariffs",
   "short": "Social tariffs",
   "big": "532,000",
   "unit": "customers",
   "takeaway": "Fewer than one in ten eligible homes use a social tariff",
   "sub": "On a fixed or mobile broadband social tariff in June 2025, fewer than 9% of those eligible.  Seven in ten eligible households had not heard of them.  37 tariffs are on Ofcom's list (34 broadband, 3 mobile), from £12 a month for broadband.",
   "sowhat": "If anyone in your household gets Universal Credit or certain other benefits, a social tariff from £12 a month is available, and in June 2025 nine in ten eligible homes were not using one.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "social tariff from £12 a month",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/social-tariffs-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+26,000 year on year",
   "asof": "Jun 2025 data; Ofcom's list of 2 Oct 2026, read 26 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-02-26",
   "next": "2027-02-26",
   "nextLabel": "Early 2027 (the next Ofcom pricing report; none is on Ofcom's 2026 calendar)",
   "src": "Ofcom",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/social-tariffs",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual, list monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Millions of households on benefits could pay less and do not know.  This is one of the easiest savings to make.",
   "method": "Ofcom, Pricing and consumer engagement 2025: customers using a fixed or mobile broadband social tariff in June 2025 (532,000, up 26,000 or 5% on the year), take-up as a share of eligible households (less than 9%), and awareness (70% of eligible households unaware, October 2025).  Tariff count and lowest price from Ofcom's social tariffs list (last updated by Ofcom 2 October 2026, read 26 October 2026: 37 tariffs, of which 34 are fixed broadband from £12, Hyperoptic Fair Fibre Fast and EE Basics, and 3 are mobile from £10), checked monthly."
  },
  {
   "n": 26,
   "id": "superfast-slow-lane",
   "sec": "speed",
   "name": "Homes that cannot get superfast broadband",
   "short": "Below 30 Mbps",
   "big": "1.9",
   "unit": "% of homes",
   "takeaway": "575,000 homes still cannot get a 30 Mbps line",
   "sub": "98.1% of UK homes can order superfast broadband (30 Mbps or more).  The 1.9% that cannot are mostly rural: 8.2% of rural homes, against 0.9% in towns and cities.",
   "sowhat": "If your home is one of the 575,000 below 30 Mbps (January 2026), the odds are it is rural, and the fix is more likely to come through Project Gigabit than the market.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "352,000 of them are rural",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Superfast is the speed most households need for everyday use.  Homes below it are the ones most likely to be struggling, and the ones Project Gigabit exists to reach.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 update, residential premises, January 2026: homes with 30 Mbit/s or more available (29,880,508 of 30,455,777, 98.1%) and those without (575,269, 1.9%).  Rural: 352,168 of 4,311,670 (8.2%).  Urban: 223,101 of 26,144,107 (0.9%).  Councils: Ofcom's local authority file, \"% of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s\", residential."
  },
  {
   "n": 27,
   "id": "speed-ladder",
   "sec": "speed",
   "name": "The speed ladder: what homes can get",
   "short": "Speed ladder",
   "big": "89",
   "unit": "% can get 300 Mbps",
   "takeaway": "Nine in ten homes can get 300 Mbps, but only two in three in the countryside",
   "sub": "Share of UK homes that can order each speed, January 2026.  Almost every home can get 10 Mbps; the drop comes between 30 Mbps and 100 Mbps, and it is far steeper in rural areas.",
   "sowhat": "Almost everyone could get a usable line in January 2026; the real divide is between 30 and 100 Mbps, and it falls hardest on the countryside.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Rural: 67% can get 300 Mbps",
   "asof": "Jan 2026 data, published 13 May 2026",
   "pub": "2026-05-13",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "6-monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Speed adverts talk in Mbps.  This shows how many homes can actually order each step on the ladder, so a national headline can be read against where you live.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 update, UK and nations coverage file, residential premises, January 2026: share of premises with each download speed available (10 Mbit/s or more, 24 or more, 30 or more, 100 or more, 300 or more), plus full fibre and gigabit-capable availability from the same file."
  },
  {
   "n": 28,
   "id": "max-download-speed",
   "sec": "speed",
   "name": "Average maximum download speed",
   "short": "Line speed",
   "big": "285",
   "unit": "Mbps",
   "takeaway": "The average UK line can now reach 285 Mbps",
   "sub": "The mean of the maximum download speeds delivered to homes, July 2025, up from 223 Mbps a year earlier and 170 Mbps in 2023.  Northern Ireland leads at 325 Mbps; Wales trails at 243 Mbps.",
   "sowhat": "The average line could deliver 285 Mbps in July 2025, so for most homes the weak link is the Wi-Fi inside the house, not the line.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "+62 Mbps in a year",
   "asof": "July 2025 data, published 19 Nov 2025",
   "pub": "2025-11-19",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-20252",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "This is the speed the line into the home can deliver, as reported by the providers, which is the nearest thing to an official measure of what people get since Ofcom stopped testing speeds in homes in 2023.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, Table 2.8, average (mean) maximum download speed delivered to residential premises, from data supplied by 57 providers for a July 2025 snapshot.  2023 is the May 2023 figure re-analysed on the 2024 method.  Not comparable with Ofcom's earlier average-speed series."
  },
  {
   "n": 29,
   "id": "data-use",
   "sec": "speed",
   "name": "Data used per home",
   "short": "Data use",
   "big": "583",
   "unit": "GB a month",
   "takeaway": "The average home now uses 583 GB of data a month",
   "sub": "Total data downloaded and uploaded per broadband connection in July 2025, up from 531 GB a year earlier.  In 2019 it was 315 GB.  England's homes use the most at 591 GB; Scotland's the least at 530 GB.",
   "sowhat": "The average home moved 583 GB a month in July 2025, almost double the 315 GB Ofcom reported for 2019 (measured on an older method, so indicative), so a connection that felt fast then is doing twice the work.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "+52 GB in a year",
   "asof": "July 2025 data, published 19 Nov 2025",
   "pub": "2025-11-19",
   "next": "2026-12-10",
   "nextLabel": "Late November or December 2026 (Connected Nations 2026, date to be confirmed)",
   "src": "Ofcom Connected Nations 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-20252",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Annual",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Data use is the quiet measure of how much broadband has become part of daily life.  Streaming, gaming, working from home and cloud back-ups all show up here.",
   "method": "Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, Table 2.9, average monthly data use per fixed broadband connection (downloaded plus uploaded) for July 2025.  2019 to 2023 figures are from earlier Connected Nations reports (May snapshots); from 2024 Ofcom measures at the network headend, so the series breaks in 2024."
  },
  {
   "n": 30,
   "id": "measured-median-speed",
   "sec": "speed",
   "name": "Measured speed in homes, Ofcom series ended",
   "short": "Measured speed",
   "big": "69.4",
   "unit": "Mbps median",
   "takeaway": "The last time Ofcom measured speeds in homes, the median was 69 Mbps",
   "sub": "Ofcom's panel measured real download speeds in homes until March 2023, when the median was 69.4 Mbps against a mean of 139.1 Mbps.  Median upload was 18.4 Mbps.  Ofcom closed the series in August 2023.",
   "sowhat": "Nobody has officially measured what arrives in UK homes since March 2023; until a new series exists, advertised and line speeds are all there is, and our free speed test shows what your line delivers today.",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "speed test",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/broadband-speed-test.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Series ended 2023",
   "asof": "March 2023 data, published 14 Sep 2023",
   "pub": "2023-09-14",
   "next": null,
   "nextLabel": "Ofcom closed this series in August 2023",
   "src": "Ofcom Home Broadband Performance, March 2023",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/home-broadband-performance-march-2023",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "No longer published",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Advertised speeds and line maximums are one thing; what arrives at the router is another.  This is the last official measurement of the second, and the gap it leaves is why a monthly measured series is on our list.",
   "method": "Ofcom UK Home Broadband Performance, measurement period March 2023: 24-hour median and mean download speed and median upload speed across the SamKnows panel.  Earlier points from the same report's chart data (November 2019, November 2020, March 2021, March 2022).  Ofcom confirmed the end of the research project on 10 August 2023."
  },
  {
   "n": 31,
   "id": "ofcom-complaints",
   "sec": "service",
   "name": "Ofcom complaints per 100,000",
   "short": "Complaints",
   "big": "6",
   "unit": "per 100k",
   "takeaway": "Broadband complaints are holding at a record low",
   "sub": "Fixed broadband industry average for Q2 2026, unchanged from Q1 and level with the lowest since the series began at 35 in late 2010.  Ofcom puts BT, EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone together at the top (7 each) and Virgin Media (4), Sky and Plusnet (5) together at the bottom; differences inside each group are under one complaint per 100,000, so Ofcom says they should be read as comparable.  Landline averaged 3, pay TV 2 and pay-monthly mobile 2.",
   "sowhat": "Service is improving across the industry (complaints held at a record low in the second quarter of 2026), but the provider you pick still matters: the four providers Ofcom groups at the top (BT, EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone, 7 each) drew close to twice the complaints of the three it groups at the bottom (Virgin Media 4, Sky and Plusnet 5).",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Unchanged from 6 in Q1 2026",
   "asof": "Q2 2026, published 26 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-26",
   "next": "2027-01-28",
   "nextLabel": "Late January 2027 (Q3 data, date to be confirmed; Ofcom says it is planning changes to this report)",
   "src": "Ofcom telecoms and pay-TV complaints",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/telecoms-and-pay-tv-complaints",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Quarterly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Complaints to the regulator are the most consistent measure of when things go wrong.",
   "method": "Complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 residential customers, from Ofcom's quarterly summary file published 26 October 2026 (fixed broadband Q4 2010 to Q2 2026; the series starts at 35 and peaked at 40 in Q1 2011).  Ofcom covers providers with a stable market share of 1.5% or more, counts only complaints made to Ofcom itself (not those made to providers or ADR schemes), rounds to whole numbers, and says providers whose actual difference is under one complaint per 100,000 should be considered comparable: for fixed broadband in Q2 2026 that groups Virgin Media, Sky and Plusnet; Plusnet with the industry average; and EE, Vodafone, TalkTalk and BT.  Provider views: lower is better; movement against Q1 2026, with Q2 2025 a year earlier.  The landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay TV views use the same file; Ofcom says pay TV before Q2 2018 and pay-monthly mobile before Q4 2019 are not comparable with later quarters because its method changed."
  },
  {
   "n": 32,
   "id": "customer-satisfaction",
   "sec": "service",
   "name": "Customer satisfaction by provider",
   "short": "Satisfaction",
   "big": "91",
   "unit": "% Plusnet",
   "takeaway": "Plusnet customers are the most satisfied",
   "sub": "The highest of the seven providers Ofcom names, against a sector average of 84%.  TalkTalk's 77% is the lowest.  This is Ofcom's latest edition, covering 2024.",
   "sowhat": "There was a 14-point gap between the most and least satisfied customer bases in 2024, so service is worth weighing alongside price when you choose.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Sector average 84%",
   "asof": "2024 experience, published 22 May 2025, reissued 18 Sep 2026",
   "pub": "2025-05-22",
   "next": "2027-05-20",
   "nextLabel": "2027 (Ofcom now reports every two years; the next edition should cover 2026)",
   "src": "Ofcom Comparing customer service 2025",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/report",
   "kind": "official",
   "cad": "Every two years",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Satisfaction captures the whole experience, from set-up to support, not just the moments that end in a complaint.",
   "method": "Share of customers satisfied with their broadband service overall, from Ofcom's Comparing customer service report (2025 edition, covering 2024).  Ofcom reissued the report on 18 September 2026 after EE resubmitted its 2024 faults data; only the EE faults figures and the associated industry averages on pages 5, 28 and 31 to 32 changed, so the satisfaction figures stand as first published.  Ofcom moved to reporting every two years after 2023, so no 2026 edition was due."
  },
  {
   "n": 33,
   "id": "trustpilot",
   "sec": "service",
   "name": "Trustpilot scores, big seven",
   "short": "Trustpilot",
   "big": "4.7",
   "unit": "Vodafone",
   "takeaway": "Vodafone leads the big seven on Trustpilot",
   "sub": "EE 4.3, BT 4.2, Plusnet 3.2, Sky 2.7, Virgin Media 2.1 and TalkTalk 2.0 out of 5, read on 26 October 2026.  Review counts range from 13,400 to 145,600.",
   "sowhat": "Review scores read on 26 October 2026 put three of the big seven above 4 stars and three below 3, with Plusnet alone in the middle at 3.2 after the biggest rise since July (up from 1.8), a far wider spread than Ofcom's own satisfaction scores show.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Plusnet up from 1.8 since July",
   "asof": "Scores read 26 Oct 2026",
   "pub": "2026-10-26",
   "next": "2026-11-02",
   "nextLabel": "Read again for Edition 2, 2 November",
   "src": "Trustpilot, Data Lab snapshot",
   "srcUrl": "https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.vodafone.co.uk",
   "kind": "compiled",
   "cad": "Monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Reviews are what many people read before they choose.  They are self-selected, so they sit beside Ofcom's figures rather than replacing them.",
   "method": "Overall TrustScore and number of reviews on each provider's main UK Trustpilot profile (Vodafone www.vodafone.co.uk, EE ee.co.uk, BT www.bt.com, Sky www.sky.com, TalkTalk www.talktalk.co.uk, Plusnet www.plus.net, Virgin Media www.virginmedia.com), read live on 26 October 2026 from each page's published rating data.  Vodafone UK's and EE's profiles cover their mobile businesses as well as broadband, so those scores reflect more than home broadband.  Previous reading 26 July 2026, captured for The Complaints Floor (Report No. 30).  TrustScore weights recent reviews most, so a provider that starts inviting reviews can move quickly: Plusnet's review count rose by about 900 between July and October while its score rose from 1.8 to 3.2."
  },
  {
   "n": 34,
   "id": "one-touch-switch",
   "sec": "switching",
   "name": "One Touch Switch",
   "short": "Switches",
   "big": "3.48",
   "unit": "m switches",
   "takeaway": "3.5 million switches through One Touch Switch",
   "sub": "Since launch on 12 September 2024.  1.86 million in the past year, against 1.62 million in the first.",
   "sowhat": "Switching now takes one contact with your new provider and 3.5 million switches had gone through by September 2026; the old excuse that switching is a hassle no longer holds (how One Touch Switch works).",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "how One Touch Switch works",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/one-touch-switch-uk.html"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "+15% year on year",
   "asof": "Published 11 Sep 2026",
   "pub": "2026-09-11",
   "next": "2027-03-11",
   "nextLabel": "TOTSCo's next milestone bulletin (it published at 1.5, 2 and 3 million; 4 million is likely in 2027)",
   "src": "TOTSCo via ISPreview",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ispreview.co.uk/?p=47976",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Periodic",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Switching should take one call to your new provider.  This shows how many people are now doing it.",
   "method": "Switches through the One Touch Switch hub, as supplied by TOTSCo to ISPreview (3,481,323 by 11 September 2026; 1.86 million in the second year against 1.62 million in the first, which the Data Lab rounds to +15%).  Ofcom's own update of 12 September 2026 counts 3,431,195 people who had started a switch by 3 September, an earlier cut-off and a slightly different measure."
  },
  {
   "n": 35,
   "id": "net-line-flow",
   "sec": "switching",
   "name": "Net line flow",
   "short": "Line flow",
   "big": "-192k",
   "unit": "Openreach, quarter",
   "takeaway": "Openreach is still losing lines, but more slowly",
   "sub": "Openreach's network lost 192,000 broadband lines in the quarter to June 2026, after 203,000 the quarter before.  Openreach lines carry BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and every other provider that rents its network, so this is customers moving between networks, not between brands.  With the total number of UK lines still edging up, each line Openreach loses is a home that has moved to a network it does not own; altnets added about 850,000 live connections in 2025 on INCA's count, roughly 210,000 a quarter, close to the mirror image.",
   "sowhat": "Around 200,000 lines a quarter were moving from Openreach-based providers to networks it does not own in the year to June 2026; that is the competition behind the cheaper new-customer deals.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Losses narrowing",
   "asof": "Jun 2026 and 2025",
   "pub": "2026-07-23",
   "next": "2026-11-05",
   "nextLabel": "5 November 2026 (BT half-year results)",
   "src": "BT Group and INCA",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/07/bt-update-openreach-lose-192k-uk-broadband-lines-as-fttp-covers-23-4m.html",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Quarterly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Shows where customers are moving.  Lines leaving Openreach are mostly going to altnets and Virgin Media O2.",
   "method": "Openreach net broadband line change per quarter from BT Group's own trading statements (23 July 2026: lines fell 192,000 in the three months to 30 June 2026; 203,000 the quarter before).  The net figure includes lines that ceased as well as those that moved network.  Altnet figure: INCA's \"around 850,000\" net customer additions in 2025 (Point Topic / INCA annual report, March 2026; live connections 2.7 million to over 3.5 million), divided by four."
  },
  {
   "n": 36,
   "id": "altnet-funding",
   "sec": "switching",
   "name": "Altnet funding and consolidation",
   "short": "Altnet funding",
   "big": "£3.2bn",
   "unit": "new funding, 2025",
   "takeaway": "Altnet funding jumped to £3.2bn in 2025",
   "sub": "Up from £574 million in 2024, most of it CityFibre's £2.3bn.  Where altnets overlap, mergers and failures follow, so this is the money behind the consolidation story.",
   "sowhat": "£3.2bn of new money in 2025 means the altnet build goes on, but most of it went to one company, so expect smaller networks to merge or be bought.",
   "sowhatLinks": [],
   "delta": "Funding x5.6",
   "asof": "Published 11 Mar 2026",
   "pub": "2026-03-11",
   "next": "2027-03-10",
   "nextLabel": "March 2027",
   "src": "INCA / Point Topic via ISPreview",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/03/inca-alternative-uk-full-fibre-networks-cover-19-7-million-premises.html",
   "kind": "company",
   "cad": "Annual, log monthly",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Money decides which altnets survive.  Big funding rounds and failures both change who can sell broadband where you live.",
   "method": "Additional funding committed to altnets in the year, as estimated by INCA for the Point Topic / INCA annual report 2026 (£3.2bn in 2025, up from £574m in 2024, most of it CityFibre's £2.3bn consortium funding announced in July 2025), as reported by ISPreview on 11 March 2026; Point Topic's own summary rounds it to over £3bn."
  },
  {
   "n": 37,
   "id": "pstn-countdown",
   "sec": "switching",
   "name": "Copper switch-off countdown",
   "short": "Switch-off",
   "big": "",
   "unit": "",
   "takeaway": "The old phone network is retired on 31 January 2027",
   "sub": "Landlines move to digital voice over broadband.  People with care alarms or no broadband need to act before the date.",
   "sowhat": "If you have a care alarm, a landline-only phone or an older burglar alarm, test that it works over broadband before 31 January 2027 (what the switch-off changes).",
   "sowhatLinks": [
    {
     "text": "what the switch-off changes",
     "url": "https://broadbandswitch.uk/guides/copper-switch-off-2027/"
    }
   ],
   "delta": "Live",
   "asof": "Counts down live",
   "pub": null,
   "next": null,
   "nextLabel": "Live",
   "src": "Openreach",
   "srcUrl": "https://www.openreach.com/upgrading-the-UK-to-digital-phone-lines",
   "kind": "computed",
   "cad": "Live",
   "own": false,
   "scope": "UK",
   "why": "Anyone with a care alarm, a landline-only phone or an older security system needs to check it works over broadband before the switch-off.",
   "method": "Days, hours and minutes to 00:00 on 31 January 2027, Openreach's date for retiring the analogue phone network (it said in July 2026 there is no extension; about 1.5 million lines were still analogue).  Consumer lines not yet moved drop to an emergency-only voice service rather than a hard disconnection.  Background: our report The Last Dial Tone."
  }
 ]
}