Ultrafast Broadband Explained 2026

Ultrafast broadband is defined by Ofcom as connections delivering 100Mbps or more. In practice, most UK ultrafast connections are full fibre (FTTP) packages delivering 100Mbps to over 2Gbps. As of 2025, gigabit-capable broadband reaches 87% of UK premises, and full fibre FTTP reaches 78%. Ultrafast packages start from approximately £22/month — putting speeds that would have cost £100+/month five years ago within reach of most households.

What Counts as Ultrafast Broadband?

Ofcom classifies broadband by speed tiers: basic (below 10Mbps), superfast (30Mbps+), and ultrafast (100Mbps+). In marketing, ISPs often use 'ultrafast' for 300–500Mbps packages, and 'gigafast' or 'gigabit' for 900Mbps+ plans. In common usage, any full fibre (FTTP) package is considered ultrafast because even the entry-level 100Mbps tier sits well above the superfast threshold. For practical purposes: superfast FTTC broadband typically delivers 35–80Mbps; ultrafast full fibre starts at 100Mbps and scales to 2.3Gbps with some providers. The UK's average broadband speed reached 223Mbps in 2025 (Ofcom), which means the 'average' connection is now firmly in the ultrafast category.

Who Offers Ultrafast Broadband in the UK?

Ultrafast broadband is now widely available across the UK. Nationally, BT, Sky, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and EE all offer 100Mbps+ packages on the Openreach FTTP network. Virgin Media offers gigabit cable broadband on its own HFC network, covering 55% of UK homes. In cities, specialists like Hyperoptic and Community Fibre deliver 1Gbps symmetric full fibre at highly competitive prices in apartment blocks and dense urban areas. Brsk is another urban FTTP altnet offering ultrafast packages. The CityFibre wholesale network gives ISPs like Vodafone and Cuckoo access to symmetrical gigabit speeds in 68+ UK cities and towns.

Do You Actually Need Ultrafast Broadband?

For most households, 100–150Mbps full fibre is more than sufficient for everyday internet use. A single 4K Netflix stream uses 25Mbps; a video call 3–5Mbps; gaming 1–3Mbps. A family of four can run everything simultaneously on 100Mbps with bandwidth to spare. You genuinely benefit from 300Mbps+ if: you have five or more heavy simultaneous users; you regularly download very large files (game installations of 100GB+ take under five minutes at 1Gbps); you work with large media files on cloud platforms; or you need fast upload for content creation or professional cloud backups. The price gap between 100Mbps and 300Mbps is often just £2–3/month from most providers — making the faster package good value as a long-term investment. Gigabit (900Mbps) is worth considering for the most demanding households, and is now available from Plusnet from just £29.99/month.

Ultrafast Broadband Coverage and the UK Rollout

Gigabit-capable broadband (predominantly full fibre FTTP and Virgin Media's cable network) now reaches 87% of UK premises per Ofcom's 2025 data. The UK government's Project Gigabit programme — backed by £5 billion in investment — is targeting rural and hard-to-reach areas. Openreach (used by BT and others) has been the primary driver of FTTP rollout, having passed the majority of the 78% coverage milestone. The key milestone of FTTP overtaking legacy FTTC connections was reached in Q3 2025, with 11.56 million FTTP connections against 10.60 million FTTC. As installations continue, ultrafast broadband will become the UK standard within a few years.

Compare Broadband Deals at Your Address

Ultrafast broadband (100Mbps+) is now available to the majority of UK addresses. Use CompareFibre to check which ultrafast and gigabit providers are available at your postcode — and compare prices, speeds, and contract terms in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum speed for ultrafast broadband?

Ofcom defines ultrafast broadband as connections delivering 100Mbps or more download speed. All full fibre (FTTP) entry-level packages in the UK currently start at 100Mbps, making any FTTP package technically ultrafast.

What percentage of UK homes have gigabit broadband?

As of 2025, 87% of UK premises have access to gigabit-capable broadband (full fibre FTTP or Virgin Media cable). This figure includes both Openreach FTTP rollout and Virgin Media's cable network. The government's Project Gigabit aims to extend this coverage further into rural areas.

Is ultrafast broadband worth the extra cost?

For entry-level ultrafast (100Mbps), yes — prices are now from £22/month, barely more than legacy FTTC. Upgrading to 300Mbps or 500Mbps typically costs only £2–5 extra per month and provides noticeably faster large file downloads and more reliable performance with multiple simultaneous users.

Related Guides

Gigabit Broadband Deals · Fibre Broadband Packages · Fibre Broadband in My Area · Broadband Speed Explained · What Is Fibre Broadband

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.