"Fibre broadband" can mean two very different things. Some "fibre" deals still use an old copper phone line for the last stretch to your home. Here's how to tell them apart.
The technologies
Full fibre (FTTP). Fibre optic cable runs all the way into your home. It's the fastest and most reliable type of fixed broadband. Most packages go up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps), and some providers now sell 2Gbps to 8Gbps. Your speed doesn't depend on how far you are from the street cabinet, and upload speeds are often much higher than on older connections.
Part fibre (FTTC), often sold as "fibre" or "superfast". Fibre runs to the green cabinet in your street, then the old copper phone line carries the signal into your home. Speeds top out at about 80Mbps and drop the further you are from the cabinet.
Cable. Virgin Media's network uses coaxial cable for the last stretch. Most of it can deliver around 1Gbps, which counts as gigabit-capable. Virgin is also building full fibre: about 9 million of the homes it covers can get it.
Fixed wireless. A local provider beams broadband to an antenna on your home from a nearby mast. Common in some rural areas.
4G and 5G home broadband. A router that connects to a mobile network. Speeds depend on signal strength and how busy the mast is.
Satellite. Low-orbit services such as Starlink can now reach most rural homes, with speeds that have improved a lot since older satellite services.
The speed terms Ofcom uses
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Decent | At least 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload |
| Superfast | At least 30Mbps download |
| Ultrafast | At least 300Mbps download (some bodies still use 100Mbps) |
| Gigabit-capable | Can deliver 1,000Mbps or more. In practice, full fibre or upgraded cable |
On our postcode, town and council pages, we show 100Mbps and 300Mbps separately, so you can see both.
How much speed do you need?
It depends on how many people use the connection at once. As a rough guide, 30Mbps to 80Mbps is enough for a small household that streams and browses. Busy homes with several people streaming in 4K, gaming or working from home benefit from 150Mbps to 500Mbps. Gigabit is useful if you upload large files or have a lot of devices, and it future-proofs the connection.
Real-world speeds
What you get can differ from the headline. In the first half of 2026, thinkbroadband's speed tests found median download speeds of 265.6Mbps for Virgin Media customers, around 100Mbps for Zen and Vodafone, and about 70Mbps for BT and Sky. The average across these providers was 100.8Mbps. Medians are pulled down by customers on slower, older packages, so they reflect the mix of plans as well as the networks.
How to check what you can get
Our postcode checker shows the share of homes in your postcode that can get superfast, 100Mbps, 300Mbps and gigabit broadband, using Ofcom's figures. Then confirm your exact address with a provider before you order.