Ofcom releases Connected Nations 2024 with positive signs of progress and highlights work for 2025

Full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband coverage is expanding

According to the report, full fibre broadband is now available to 69% or 20.7 million households, an increase of 12% or 3.6 million premises between September 2023 and July 2024.

Gigabit-capable broadband networks, which include hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable as well as full fibre, have grown to reach 83% or 25 million households by July 2024. As the report notes, the Government has a target of reaching 85% of households by the end of 2025, with these figures suggesting this will be met.

The availability of 5G services continues to grow but plenty left to do

The level of 5G coverage provided outside of premises by at least one mobile network operator (MNO) rose from 85-93% (across a range covering Very High and High Confidence levels) up to 90-95%.

Further, the deployment of mobile end-to-end 5G Standalone (5G SA) sites has increased to around 3,300 sites this year, representing just below 15% of reporting 5G sites. 5G mobile services are still mostly being delivered in non-standalone (NSA) mode.

However the footprint of where all MNOs provide 5G coverage, offering consumers the greatest choice, remains low. Whilst it has increased, now covering 38% of premises at the High Confidence level and 19% at the Very High Confidence level, there is clearly more to be done.

4G remains the most used mobile technology

In the latest Connected Nations, it is confirmed that 4G services now reach outside more than 99% of UK premises, carrying 78% of total mobile data traffic. 4G rollout has achieved one of the key targets for the Government’s Shared Rural Network programme (SRN) early by reaching 95% of the UK landmass for coverage available from at least one MNO.

Legacy networks are being phased out slowly

The UK’s traditional landline voice services continue to undergo a substantial transition as network operators retire their legacy systems. The industry has made steady progress so far in migrating customers off the public switched telephone network (PSTN), but Ofcom has reported that migration numbers have slowed in 2024. This was a result of an agreement between the Government and all the main providers to temporarily pause provider-led migration of customers until additional steps are taken to protect vulnerable consumers through the transition.

PSTN connections now account for just over a quarter (27%) of residential landline connections. The report notes that BT and Openreach will retire their services by January 2027, a timeline roughly followed by other providers. Focus is on ensuring that consumers are not left behind owing to additional needs or vulnerabilities.

Ofcom acknowledges limitations in reporting

Current coverage reporting is noted in the report as having limitations and not necessarily reflecting the experience of customers fully. Ofcom notes that they will look to overhaul their current mobile web-checker in 2025 and improve its coverage data by the next report.

Rising access to full fibre networks for SMEs is important for the economy

In 2024, the availability of both full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband for SMEs has risen. As of July 2024, 63% of SMEs in the UK had access to a full fibre network, which represents an increase of 12 percentage points from September 2023. 79% of SMEs in the UK had access to a gigabit-capable network, an increase of five percentage points from September 2023.

The report notes that coverage is highest for micro businesses, those of 1-9 employees on site, as they are often based in residential areas and can utilise these services.

Coverage gaps for business reporting

Connected Nations reports do not include networks used to deliver leased lines for larger businesses, meaning that the data within the report may underestimate coverage for medium-sized businesses in particular.

It’s hard to reach the very hard to reach

Although gigabit-capable services are available to most people across the UK, there remains a small number of customers without access to a decent broadband connection from either a fixed-line or Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). A reduction of 3,000 households with no access to decent broadband means that across the UK there are now only 58,000 premises, or 0.2% of premises (residential and small business) without this access.

The report notes that it is estimated another 10,000 of these premises will be connected via publicly funded schemes by December 2025, leaving only about 48,000 premises without access to decent broadband. Further estimates suggest that by mid-2027 this will be down to 26,000 premises.

Growing uptake of satellite technology, particularly in rural areas

Satellite services are expanding as a new option for people and businesses. In 2024, there were 87,000 connections across the UK, a more than doubling from 42,000 in 2023. Most of these customers are in rural areas, with 8% of these customers being in premises with no access to decent broadband from ‘normal’ services.

In the UK currently only Starlink offers direct-to-consumer services, whilst business-to-business services are available from OneWeb. Ofcom notes in the report that it has authorised a total of 6 operators to provide broadband services in the UK, increasing competition and development.

Updates on progress

In the report, Ofcom note their updated Network and Service Resilience Guidance from September, given the importance of more resilient telecoms networks to both consumers and businesses across the UK. The updated guidance sets out measures across architecture, design, and operational models that underpin robust and resilient telecommunications networks and services, as well as more specific actions.

Over the last reporting year (September 2023 – August 2024), Ofcom received a total of 1,523 reports of resilience incidents from providers, covering both fixed and mobile incidents. This is 26% higher than the 1,209 incidents reported last year.

Little mention of the role of climate change in resilience

Whilst the topics covered in this year’s report do differ somewhat compared to previous versions, it has been somewhat surprising to see no chapter on climate change and telecoms networks. The new report discusses instances of outages caused by storms, which are set to become more prevalent across the country but says little else.

Given the importance of the climate change conversation, in particular the impact of increasingly common severe weather events on our infrastructure, we hope to see more from Ofcom over the next year on this subject matter, and the return of a chapter for Connected Nations 2025.

Ofcom’s reviews

This priority is about ensuring that UK consumers have access to high quality full fibre and gigabit-capable networks. Ofcom’s focus is on improving the security and resilience of networks to meet the demands of the public. Under this priority, Ofcom will lead on the delivery of work including:

• The Telecoms Access Review and Wholesale Voice Markets Review
• Telecoms and Digital Infrastructure security

Ongoing programmes

Alongside these reviews and wider areas of concern, ongoing programmes that support this area of work include:

• Continuing to work with industry to improve the accuracy and consistency of available coverage and performance information
• Managing the transition away from legacy services such as PSTN and 2G/3G networks to create more reliable and effective networks
• Review of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in telecoms
• Engaging with the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and its Digital Markets Unit (DMU) to establish better working practices

Spectrum management and wireless connectivity

This priority is concerned with ensuring that spectrum remains an effective enabler for wireless communication for all people, businesses, and sectors. It is vital that spectrum continues to support the growing demand for a variety of services, enable innovation and create economic opportunities.

Ofcom’s work in this priority area includes:

• International engagement on spectrum management, including representation of the UK’s interests at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) and in European spectrum work
• Supporting innovation through timely spectrum availability and greater sharing
• Sustained efficiency through advanced spectrum management capabilities

Ongoing programmes

Alongside these reviews and wider areas of concern, ongoing programmes that support this area of work include:

• Continued research and planning to inform policy development to improve spectrum efficiency
• Reviewing the satellite licensing framework for non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) systems and satellite gateway licence fees policy
• Continued work by Ofcom on licensing, compliance and assurance for spectrum licenses