Where our figures come from
The source
Ofcom collects coverage data from every broadband network in the UK and publishes it as Connected Nations. We use the January 2026 release, published on 13 May 2026. It covers 1,741,096 postcodes and 361 councils.
To group postcodes into towns we use Ordnance Survey's OS Open Names, which links each postcode in Great Britain to the town or village it sits in. Both datasets are published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right. Contains Ofcom data.
What the measures mean
| Measure | What it means |
|---|---|
| Superfast | A download speed of at least 30Mbps. |
| Fast (100Mbps) | A download speed of at least 100Mbps. |
| Ultrafast | A download speed of at least 300Mbps. |
| Gigabit | A network that can deliver 1,000Mbps or more. In practice this is full fibre or Virgin Media's upgraded cable network. |
| Full fibre | Fibre optic cable all the way into the home. Ofcom only publishes this for councils and nations, not postcodes. |
| No decent service | Can't get 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload from a fixed line or fixed wireless network. Satellite is not counted. |
Postcodes, towns and councils
- Postcodes show the share of homes in that postcode able to get each speed. Where Ofcom has residential figures for a postcode we use them; otherwise we use its figures for all premises.
- Towns are the average of their postcodes' figures. Ofcom doesn't publish premises counts by postcode, so each postcode counts equally. We include cities and towns with at least 30 postcodes, and villages with at least 120.
- Councils and nations use Ofcom's own totals for homes, so they are exact. Premises counts include businesses.
Limits
Coverage changes every week as networks build, and Ofcom's figures are a snapshot. A postcode where 50% of homes can get gigabit broadband may include your home or may not. Always check your exact address with a provider before you order.
Ofcom doesn't publish which provider covers which postcode, so we don't guess. We tell you which providers sell on the Openreach network, which reaches almost every address, and which only cover areas they've built themselves.
Figures generated 12 October 2026.