Fibre Broadband in My Area: How to Check Availability 2026

Full fibre broadband (FTTP) is now available to 78% of UK premises as of 2025, according to Ofcom. Whether fibre is available at your specific address depends on which networks have been deployed in your street. The easiest way to check is to enter your postcode on CompareFibre — our comparison tool shows every provider available at your exact address, including local altnets you might not find on mainstream comparison sites.

Which Networks Deliver Fibre to UK Homes?

There are four main network types delivering fibre broadband to UK homes. Openreach is the UK's dominant wholesale network, owned by BT Group. It delivers FTTC and FTTP to approximately 99% of UK postcodes for superfast, and 78% for full fibre. Providers using Openreach include BT, Sky, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Vodafone, EE, Zen Internet, and many others. Virgin Media operates its own hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) cable network covering approximately 55% of UK homes — primarily urban areas. Virgin Media is upgrading to full fibre (FTTP) under Project Lightning. CityFibre is an independent wholesale network covering 4.7 million premises across 68+ UK cities and towns — providers selling over CityFibre include Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, and Cuckoo. Altnets (alternative network operators) are smaller providers — such as Gigaclear, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, and many others — that build and operate their own FTTP networks in specific areas.

How to Check Fibre Availability at Your Address

The most reliable way to check what's available at your specific address — not just your postcode area — is to use CompareFibre's address-level checker. This queries multiple networks simultaneously and shows all available providers and packages. Alternatively, you can check individual provider websites: the Openreach checker (on any Openreach ISP site) covers BT, Sky, and similar providers; Virgin Media has its own checker; and CityFibre's postcode checker shows whether CityFibre infrastructure has been deployed in your area. For urban apartment buildings, specialist full fibre providers like Hyperoptic and Community Fibre may be available and are often not listed on mainstream comparison sites. Community Fibre covers much of London with symmetrical full fibre at competitive prices.

What If Full Fibre Isn't Available at My Address?

If FTTP is not yet available at your address, you have several options. FTTC superfast broadband (up to 80Mbps) is available to approximately 97% of UK premises and is the most common alternative. In rural areas, specialist providers such as Gigaclear are actively building new FTTP networks using Project Gigabit funding — a £5 billion government programme to bring gigabit-capable broadband to underserved rural areas. Satellite broadband (such as Starlink) is another option for very remote properties where no fixed-line upgrade is imminent. You can also register your interest with providers to be notified when FTTP becomes available at your address. Ofcom's Openreach exchange rollout data shows that the vast majority of remaining unserved addresses are expected to receive FTTP by 2027–2028.

Altnets: The Hidden Fibre Providers in Your Area

One of the most common findings when customers use CompareFibre is that a local altnet — an alternative network operator — is available at their address but was unknown to them. Altnets often offer faster speeds, lower prices, or better customer service than the national brands. Examples include Hyperoptic and Community Fibre in London, Gigaclear in rural England, Wessex Internet in the South West, Hey! Broadband in South East England, and dozens of others across the UK. Many mainstream comparison websites only show the large national providers and miss the local altnets entirely. Gigabit-capable broadband now reaches 87% of UK premises (Ofcom 2025), and a significant share of that capacity comes from altnets deploying in cities and towns previously underserved by Openreach.

Compare Broadband Deals at Your Address

Enter your postcode on CompareFibre to see every fibre broadband provider available at your specific address — including local altnets that often outperform national brands on speed, price, or service. Comparison takes seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if full fibre is available at my house?

Use CompareFibre's postcode checker or any major ISP's availability checker. FTTP (full fibre) shows as a separate product tier from FTTC superfast. As of 2025, 78% of UK premises can get full fibre. If it's not available at your address yet, you can register interest with providers for future notification.

Can I get full fibre in a rural area?

Many rural areas now have access to full fibre via altnets like Gigaclear, Voneus, Wessex Internet, and Freedom Fibre, often backed by Project Gigabit government funding. Enter your postcode to check — you may be surprised to find a rural altnet has deployed FTTP at your address.

What is the difference between Openreach and CityFibre areas?

Openreach is the UK's largest wholesale network and covers nearly all of the country. CityFibre is an independent FTTP network covering 4.7 million premises in 68+ UK towns and cities. In CityFibre areas, ISPs like Vodafone, TalkTalk, and Cuckoo offer symmetric speeds; in Openreach areas, upload is typically lower than download on FTTP packages.

Related Guides

What Is Fibre Broadband · Fibre Broadband Packages · Rural Fibre Broadband Deals · Gigabit Broadband Deals · Fibre Broadband Deals

Methodology

This guide is based on publicly available data from Ofcom, provider websites, and independent sources including ISPreview.co.uk, Thinkbroadband, and Point Topic. Pricing, speeds, and availability were verified in April 2026 and are subject to change. CompareFibre is editorially independent — providers do not pay for placement or influence our recommendations.