Last year, we published research to improve our understanding of the challenges that particular groups face when online - and how this impacts their digital engagement and day-to-day lives. Alongside this, we published research which looked to better understand those people who do not take up fixed broadband in their home.
This report refreshes those take up statistics for 2025 and additionally explores landline usage and TV ownership amongst these groups.
Understanding people who do not take up broadband in their home is critical to large parts of our work. We have seen great success in the roll-out of high speed broadband in the UK but take-up lags behind. As legacy technologies are wound down and replaced by modern, internet-based technologies, those who are not supported to transition successfully are often left at risk of exclusion, poorer service and higher costs.
Full digital inclusion is not just about connection to the internet – affordability, skills and confidence all play a significant role – but connection to the internet is the foundational step.
In our Plan of Work, published in March, we committed to beginning some work looking at the cross-sectoral shift from legacy to internet-based technologies. In addition, our work on the Future of TV Distribution showed that broadcasters, including the Public Service Broadcasters, are increasingly prioritising internet-based delivery of their content. This means that those who do not have in-home access to broadband may be losing out on the full range of free-to-air content available to them. There is significant interest in the latest trends for home broadband take-up among stakeholders considering the options for TV Distribution.
The decision on the future of TV distribution is for Government. This research, along with another piece of research we published today on the useability of TV interfaces, deepens our understanding of the issue and prepares us to support consumers no matter the decision made by Government.
This research broadens our understanding of those who currently are not able to access the wide range of services that connection to the internet unlocks. In addition to updating the work from earlier this year, we also add analysis of the share of homes without home broadband who have a TV, use Freeview (terrestrial TV services), and who use a landline. Landline use among non-broadband homes is relevant as the move to digital voice means more of those homes will by the end of the decade have been provided with an internet-based voice service with a router in the home.
The report found that 5% of the UK aged 16+ does not have home internet access and 81% of those without access were unlikely or certain not to get it in the next twelve months. The primary reason for this (74%) was a lack of interest or need. This was followed by affordability reasons.
Looking more closely at those people who do not have fixed internet at home, 3% of the UK aged 16+ don’t use the internet at home, 3% only use mobile data and 1% only use the internet outside of the home, for example through public Wi-Fi or at work.
This year, we wanted to understand how not using the internet intersected with the use of other technologies. We found that 56% of non-internet users have a landline (compared to 34% of broadband users). Non-internet users are less likely than the population as a whole to have a TV at all – 17% don’t have a working TV. Of those who do, much fewer report having a smart TV (10% vs 76% for broadband users) and more report having Freeview.
Along with the survey data, we have included some predictive modelling to understand more about those who do not have broadband in their homes.
Our analysis suggests that being older, in DE social grade, renting from social housing and living alone increases the likelihood of an individual of being a non-internet user. Predictive modelling analysis suggests renting private housing increases the likelihood of an individual of being a mobile data only user, compared to other forms of tenure. Predictive modelling analysis suggests being aged 25-34 or unemployed increases the likelihood of an individual being an external connectivity-only user, compared to someone who is not.