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To help you find the best broadband package for your needs, our expert team has broken down everything you need to know about fibre broadband.
We interviewed over 2,000* broadband customers in the UK to better understand their opinions and habits when it comes to fibre broadband. These insights fed into this guide, where you can find out everything from the popularity of fibre, the different types of connections available and how to pick the right broadband speed for your needs.
Fibre broadband offers much faster speeds than standard broadband thanks to the use of fibre optic cables, which replace older copper cables.
Full fibre broadband can reach top speeds above 1,000Mbps, much faster than the maximum speed of 11Mbps for a standard connection. Openreach claims fibre broadband is 70 to 80 per cent more stable than older internet networks[1].
There are two main types of fibre broadband. Fibre, sometimes known as fibre-to-the-cabinet, and full fibre, also called fibre-to-the-premises.
We have listed everything you need to know about each type to help you understand which fibre connection is best for you.
| Fibre broadband | Full fibre broadband | |
|---|---|---|
| Average download speed | Between 30-70Mbps | Between 100-500Mbps |
| Maximum download speed | Up to 80Mbps | Above 1,000Mbps |
| Average cost per month | £54 | £48 |
| Is a phone line needed? | Yes | No |
| Availability in UK homes | 62%[3] | 97% |
| Rate of adoption among survey respondents | 31% | 46% |
There are other options if you don’t want or can’t access fibre broadband. Here are some key factors to know about other types of broadband connections.
Standard broadband is the slowest type of broadband connection in the UK but is widely available throughout the country.
Mobile broadband works differently than traditional broadband, using data over a wireless network. It comes in the form of SIMs, dongles, portable hotspots or mobile routers.
Satellite broadband sends signals through communication satellites, similar to satellite TV. This is a great alternative for people living in remote areas without access to fibre or standard broadband.
93 per cent of respondents to our survey felt that speed was an important factor when picking a new broadband package. Here are the three categories that fibre broadband can be broken down into:
Superfast broadband
Superfast broadband offers download speeds of up to 30Mbps (4). Superfast broadband can either be delivered via fibre or full fibre broadband, depending on the package, and is available to most households in the UK.
Ultrafast broadband
Ultrafast broadband is 10 times faster than superfast broadband, providing download speeds of at least 300Mbps. Due to this, ultrafast broadband always requires a full fibre connection.
Gigabit fibre
Gigabit broadband delivers speeds up to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps), making it the fastest type of broadband in the UK. To help more people access gigabit broadband, the UK government has signed £1 billion in contracts to upgrade broadband infrastructure in rural communities (5), aiming to connect 85 per cent of properties by 2025.
Fibre broadband can be broken down into three categories; superfast, ultrafast and gigabit broadband.
The table below shows the speed range of each type of fibre broadband, as well as standard broadband, and which household they are best suited for.
| Standard | Superfast | Ultrafast | Gigafast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-30Mbps | 30-300Mbps | 300-999Mbps | 1,000+Mbps |
| Best for browsing the web and sending emails | Best for managing smart devices and HD streaming | Best for 4K streaming on multiple devices and online gaming | Best for large households that want the fastest speeds possible |
You should overestimate your speed needs rather than underestimate them, as you don’t want to experience juddering video playback or slow loading times.
We asked our survey respondents what their internet habits were and what broadband connection they use.
Heavy usage respondents use full fibre more than any other group, with light usage respondents using standard broadband the most. Consider your needs and ensure you invest in a deal that won’t result in slow loading times, which will cause unnecessary frustrations throughout your contract.
Fibre broadband is worth it if you frequently use the internet to stream online content, play online games or download large files. You will also need faster speeds if you live with multiple people, as more devices cause congestion.
Survey respondents with heavy internet habits use full fibre the most, proving its value for internet-intensive households. You can invest in a fibre deal if you have moderate habits or live alone, which can be cheaper than full fibre depending on the provider.
You can find out what broadband is available in your area by using our postcode checker. Speeds of around 80Mbps means you can access fibre, and speeds above mean you can access full fibre.
To help fibre reach more households, Openreach is aiming to roll out ultrafast full fibre broadband to 25 million homes by the end of 2026[2]. Currently, 62 per cent of households can access fibre broadband.
Urban areas are more likely than rural areas to access fibre broadband due to differences in infrastructure. Our survey revealed that 49 per cent of suburban respondents use full fibre, compared to 43 per cent of rural households.
Those in small villages use full fibre the least, at just 35 per cent, while large coastal towns use it the most, at 65 per cent. Remember that these responses won’t just be influenced by accessibility but by other factors such as personal preferences and budget restrictions.
Our postcode checker is the most reliable way to find if you can access full fibre. If you can’t, consider mobile or satellite broadband, which offers faster speeds than standard broadband and is not dictated by traditional infrastructure.
According to our survey, the biggest deciders when switching to a new package are better prices (74 per cent) and faster speeds (34 per cent).
You can achieve both by switching broadband providers. Switching can tell you what other providers offer fibre broadband and offer a more affordable deal than you’re currently on. Use our postcode checker to discover better deals and faster speeds in your area.
Almost every broadband provider offers fibre or full fibre broadband deals. Depending on where you live, you will have a multitude of options when it comes to picking a new fibre broadband provider.
Below, we have categorised some of the best providers on the market using our expert knowledge and information from our survey.
Despite only operating in London, Community Fibre offers some of the best prices on the market. 100 per cent of Community Fibre survey respondents felt the provider offered good or excellent value for money.
All of NOW’s packages come with zero upfront costs and can reliability be found for under £35 throughout the year.
EE and Vodafone offer high top speeds of 1,600Mbps and 1,800Mbps, respectively. These are some of the best providers to look for if you want a gigabit broadband connection with unlimited usage.
Depending on your needs, you may want to look for full fibre broadband deals on a rolling contract basis. Hyperoptic and Virgin Media offer no-contract deals, making them ideal for students or people about to move house.
Hyperoptic also offers 12 and 24-month-long contracts, with Virgin Media offering 18-month contracts as a standard.
Knowing you will be well taken care of by your broadband provider is paramount, as it will ensure any issues you encounter will be dealt with quickly.
In our survey, 89 and 85 per cent of respondents were overall satisfied with Plusnet and BT, respectively. BT also received the fewest number of complaints about disconnections and 41 per cent of Plusnet respondents experienced no issues whatsoever with their service.
Most business broadband packages offer fibre or full fibre so you can experience faster speeds while you work. Business broadband can be more expensive than home packages, but they usually have more features that make your browsing experience more seamless. These features include:
We’ve researched and compared more than 30 different broadband packages from 11 different broadband providers. We also surveyed over 2,000 UK broadband customers to better understand the general public’s priorities when searching for a fibre broadband deal.
Some of the biggest factors we consider are:
We also update our deals regularly to ensure that you can access the most up to date information about various packages and providers.
In March 2024, we surveyed 2,003 broadband customers in the UK to better understand how people feel about their broadband services. We asked them over 20 questions regarding their current broadband provider, including how they felt about the speeds they receive, the pricing of their plan, value for money and their overall satisfaction.
*Survey of broadband customers aged between 24-64 conducted on Censuswide, 11-14 March 2024. Survey sample: 2,003 respondents, totalling Sky (489), BT Broadband (412), Virgin Media (396), EE (134), Vodafone (124), Other (102), Plusnet (66), NOW Broadband (45), Three (31), Hyperoptic (14), Community Fibre (8), Unsure (7). Respondents who selected Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, Other or Unsure were discarded from our review, however, the information gathered for Hyperoptic and Community Fibre was used in our Broadband Providers evaluation. Respondents were asked to rate each category on a five-point scale, from Very Poor to Excellent, or from Never to Always, with the option of selecting Don’t Know for all questions. For the question “What issues, if any, have you experienced with your current broadband provider”, respondents could select from the following: Price Hikes, Slow Speeds, High Prices, Frequent Disconnections, Poor Customer Service, Billing Issues, Other and N/A.
[1] Openreach, We’re retiring our copper network
[2] Openreach, Celebrating getting next generation Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband to 12.5 million homes and businesses [December 2023]
[3] Ofcom, Connected Nations update: Spring 2024 [April 2024]
[4] Ofcom, Faster full-fibre broadband now available to half of UK homes [September 2023]
[5] Gov.uk, Over £1 billion awarded to roll out lightning-fast broadband in hard to reach towns and villages [February 2024]
Some providers offer broadband with no upfront cost deals, while others may require you to pay some costs upfront. This could range from £0 to £31.99, depending on your chosen deal and provider.
If you have a fibre-to-the-cabinet connection, you likely won’t need to have an engineer come to your home, as it uses the existing phone line. If you are in a new build without a phone line installed, you will need an engineer visit.
If you want full fibre broadband, however, you may need an engineer to come to your home to install a new modem. This is so the fibre optic cables can run straight from the broadband exchange to your household.
It is possible to cancel your fibre broadband package. However, it will normally come with an exit fee. This can be based on how much your tariff costs and the number of months you have left on the contract.
There are times when you can cancel your broadband for free. For example, if your broadband provider raises its prices during your contract, you have the legal right to cancel your contract within the 30-day notice period.
Since basic broadband uses the old copper phone line network and fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables, the latter is much more reliable. It is less likely to be affected by weather damage, needs less maintenance and does not suffer from signal degradation.
Moreover, fibre broadband offers much faster speeds than its predecessor, making it the better option for larger households or those who require ultrafast or gigabit speeds.
Those living in rural areas are less likely to have access to fibre broadband than those living in urban areas due to a lack of infrastructure in certain regions. Our survey revealed that residents of urban city centres have an average actual broadband speed of 141Mbps, while rural residents have much lower average speeds of 110Mbps.
Fibre broadband can require a landline, but full fibre broadband doesn’t. While fibre broadband deals use copper lines which connect to a landline, full fibre only uses fibre optic cables, meaning you don’t need to install a landline to access it.
That said, if you opt for full fibre but need a landline, some companies offer a phone line as an additional service. Due to the PSTN switch off, some providers offer a Digital Voice service with fibre deals, which allows you to make calls through an internet connection rather than a landline service.
Yes, fibre broadband is more environmentally friendly than standard broadband. Fibre optic cables use less energy to transmit data than copper cables used for standard broadband, and their production emits less CO2 than copper cables.
Fibre optic cables can also be reused and recycled into new cables, while copper mining is harmful to the environment and difficult to recycle. Finally, fibre optic cables are easier to maintain and less susceptible to damage than their copper counterparts.
Explore our picks of the best fibre broadband deals
Deals checked by Gemma Ryles, our broadband expert
With her expert advice and knowledge, you can trust Gemma to guide you to the best broadband deal for your needs.