- Full-fibre broadband now available to more than 600,000 homes in Wales
- Number of households without access to decent broadband falls below 1%
- 5G coverage improving steadily
Four in ten homes can now access the fastest, most reliable internet connections, as the rollout of full-fibre technology continues at pace in Wales and remains in line with availability across the UK.
Ofcom’s annual Connected Nations Wales report (PDF, 1.9 MB), which measures the availability of broadband and mobile services across Wales and the UK, found that full-fibre connections are now available to at least 600,000 households (40%) – an increase of 13 percentage points, or 200,000 homes, from last year.
Full-fibre connections – along with upgraded cable networks – can deliver download speeds of one gigabit per second or more (Gbit/s). In total, gigabit-capable broadband through a range of technologies is now available to 52% of Wales (nearly 800,000 homes).
Connecting hard-to-reach areas
The vast majority (95%) of homes in Wales can now get superfast broadband, which provides download speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s; although nearly three in ten homes in Wales (30%) who have access to it have not taken it up. Take up of full fibre services also lags behind availability at 28%.
Nearly 10,000 (0.7%) homes and businesses in Wales do not have access to ‘decent’ broadband, defined by the UK Government as offering download speeds of 10 Mbit/s and upload speeds of 1 Mbit/s. Many of these are in the hardest-to-reach parts of Wales, where it is more complex and costly to build networks. This figure has fallen from 15,000 last year.
In addition, we estimate that around 6,000 premises cannot access either a decent fixed broadband service or good 4G indoor coverage. Powys remains the local authority in Wales with the highest number of premises (2,157) without access to decent broadband from either a 4G, fixed connection or wireless service.
Satellite broadband can be an alternative for people who do not have access to traditional broadband services. The UK Government recently announced a new trial to deliver high-speed internet to more than a dozen very hard-to-reach locations across the UK, including the base of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation and Ty Cornel, an outdoor activity centre in Crafnant Valley, both located within Snowdonia National Park.
Full fibre is helping meet the increasing demands of consumers, with thousands more benefitting from faster speeds and more reliable connections. But some homes in hard-to-reach areas still struggle to get decent broadband and there is more work to do to make sure these communities get the connections they need.
Ofcom is playing its part in this process and is supporting the Welsh Government’s Barrier Busting Taskforce, which has highlighted the need to promote the benefits of digital connectivity to consumers, including local deployment activity. We appreciate that a better understanding of available services and providers will help drive take-up of faster, future-proofed fibre services.
Eleanor Marks, Ofcom’s Director in Wales
5G coverage increasing
Mobile coverage is generally stable: 62% of Wales has access to good 4G geographic coverage from all four operators with coverage varying considerably between Senedd Cymru constituencies in urban and rural parts of Wales.
Wales will see a significant uplift in mobile coverage by 2025 as a result of the Shared Rural Network programme agreed between the Mobile Network Operators and the UK Government.
The availability of 5G services continues to grow but lags behind some of the other nations. The level of coverage provided outside of premises by individual operators in Wales now spans a range from 10-46% the second lowest of the four UK nations.
Notes to editors
- An interactive version of the report, also published today, allows people to look up how coverage compares in their area.
- Ofcom has also published the International Broadband Scorecard, which compares broadband availability and take-up across 17 different nations.
- We estimate that 5G is available from at least one mobile network operator in the vicinity of 10-46% of premises. The range is based on the information provided to us by operators and informed by our own measurement work.