Ultrafast Broadband

Ultrafast is a defined term rather than a marketing one. Ofcom uses it for connections of 300Mb and above, which sits a long way past the 30Mb that counts as superfast. This page covers what delivers those speeds, whether you can get one, and how to judge whether the extra cost is worth paying.

What counts as ultrafast

The categories are worth knowing because providers use them loosely in advertising.

• Standard broadband runs over copper phone lines and tops out around 10Mb to 20Mb.
• Superfast starts at 30Mb. Most part-fibre connections land here, typically between 35Mb and 80Mb.
• Ultrafast starts at 300Mb.
• Gigabit means 1,000Mb or more. Every gigabit connection is ultrafast, but not the other way round.

What actually delivers it

Three technologies reach ultrafast speeds in the UK, and which one you get depends entirely on your address.

• Full fibre, or FTTP. Fibre running all the way into the property. This is the version that comfortably exceeds 300Mb and keeps doing so as providers raise their tiers. Openreach and a long list of smaller network builders are laying it street by street.
• Cable. Virgin Media, using coaxial cable for the final stretch. It reaches ultrafast speeds and has done for longer than most full fibre networks have existed. Upload speeds are much lower than download, which matters if you send large files.
• 5G home broadband. Can reach ultrafast speeds where the signal is strong, though it varies through the day in a way fixed lines do not.

Do you need it?

Honestly, many households do not. A single person streaming in 4K needs well under 50Mb. The case for ultrafast is rarely about one activity and almost always about how many things happen at once, and about upload rather than download.

It earns its price if several people work from home on video calls, if you upload large files regularly, if the house runs a lot of connected devices, or if teenagers game online while someone else streams. If your evenings involve one television and a laptop, a superfast connection will not feel any slower.

Upload speed is the part most people overlook. Full fibre often gives you far more of it than cable at the same download speed, and that is what determines whether a video call holds up while a backup runs.

Can you get it?

Availability is street by street rather than town by town. Two houses on the same road can have different options if one sits on a newer cabinet or a different network. The only reliable answer comes from checking your own postcode, which our coverage checker does.

If full fibre has not reached you yet, it is worth checking again every few months. Networks are still building, and an address with nothing available one year often has two or three choices the next.

Ultrafast deals

These are the ultrafast plans we currently list, starting with the cheapest. Filter by speed, price or contract length to narrow them down.

Before you commit

• Check the upload speed, not just the download figure in the advert.
• Look at what happens to the price mid-contract. Our guide to price rises explains the rules.
• Full fibre usually needs an engineer visit and a small box fitted inside. Factor in the wait.
• A slow connection is often the wifi rather than the line. Upgrading the package will not fix a router struggling to cover the house.