What is Gigabit Broadband?

Gigabit Broadband is a term used to describe a broadband internet connection that is capable of delivering speeds of 1Gbps aka 1 gigabit per second which is equivalent to 1000mbps.

The current Government target is for 99% of the UK to have access to Gigabit Broadband by 2030 (it was meant to be 2025 but got pushed back).

As of June 2023 76% of the UK has access to Gigabit Broadband according to a study by ThinkBroadband .

Gigabit Broadband can be delivered via a number of different ways.

In the UK the prominent  way of rolling out gigabit broadband is by using Full Fibre.

It is also being rolled out using Virgin Media's existing Hybrid Fibre Coax cable network using DOCIS technology.

Virgin Media are planning on moving away from using their Coax copper network in favour of Full Fibre and have already started using Full Fibre for their newest build areas and plan to migrate to a fully FTTP network by 2028.

In some cases Gigabit Broadband is being delivered using wireless technology's such as 5G and Fixed Wireless Access.

You can find out more about what these and the other types of non gigabit broadband found in the UK below. 

Broadband in the UK

There are a few different types of broadband technology in the UK each with different capabilities some are like Del & Rodney’s van from Only Fools & Horses where as Full Fibre is like a Rocket .

Expand each section below to learn more about these broadband technologies:

FTTP= Fibre to the premise

FTTH= Fibre to the home

FTTB= Fibre to the building

The above and Full Fibre are the same and is where the broadband is delivered via fibre optic cables right into your property. 

Full Fibre is Gigabit capable and can be multi gigabit capable.

Each fibre strand can be a thin as a human hair!

Because the broadband signals are delivered using light it is capable of delivering ultrafast speeds over long distances.

It is the most reliable, consistent and fast broadband in the UK.

You can learn more about the many benefits of Full fibre further down this page.

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) is a hybrid fibre and copper broadband service.

Fibre optic cables deliver the broadband to a green street cabinet like shown below.

From the street cabinet the broadband is then delivered via old copper cables to your property and your router connects to a telephone socket.

The max speed you can get on this service is 80mbps down and 20mbps up.

These speeds are a best case and in reality most people get far lower and non consistent speeds due to the length and quality of the ageing copper cables.  

You can think of this broadband type like Del & Rodney’s van from Only Fools & Horses!

 

This is a less known hybrid fibre broadband service.

It is similar to FTTC except it can support speeds up to 330mbps down and 30mbps up by pushing the limits of copper cables even more.

This service has now been discontinued by many providers in favour of Full Fibre as G.fast was even worse than FTTC in reliability.  

ADSL is one of the oldest broadband types still in use in the UK.

It is delivered all the way via copper cables from the exchange into your property.

It supports speeds up to 24mbps down and 2mbps up which is the best case if you live very close to the Exchange.

Typically speeds out in suburban areas range from 2-10mbps down.

Virgin Media 02 delivers most of their broadband via their cable’s used for their TV service.

Fibre optic cables deliver the services to street side cabinets which are usually closer to each street than Openreach’s FTTC cabinet’s.

 From these cabinets the service is delivered into the property via Coaxial copper cables which are higher quality than the copper telephone cables used by Openreach for their services.

They use technology called DOCSIS and can support currently a top speed of over 1Gbps down and 100Mbps up.

This makes them a Gigabit capable Broadband.

Virgin Media’s broadband service is prone to congestion meaning speeds may not be consistent and can lead to higher latency. 

Virgin Media O2 do also provide some of their broadband services using a Full Fibre connection and plan to upgrade their entire network to FTTP by 2028.

Mobile Broadband uses Mobile phone signals to deliver broadband into your property.

Speeds can vary depending on the provider and location and what service you can pick up.

5G is the fastest and can support ultrafast speeds over 1Gbps making it technically gigabit broadband capable.

Being a wireless service it is not the most reliable nor consistent and can be effected by congestion.

It can also suffer from high latency which can effect internet performance particularly for services such as online gaming.   

Before considering this option you need to research it carefully and test to ensure you can get a decent service.

You can see our own review here of Three’s 4G and 5G based home broadband 

Fixed wireless access broadband or Wireless Internet Service Providers deliver broadband using powerful wireless masts.

You have a wireless aerial on your house that points towards the transmitter and has to be line of sight to pick up the signal.

Speeds depend on the provider typically are around 40mbps down and 10mbps up but could be higher but usually not ultrafast.

In some cases FWA can be Gigabit Capable.

As with any wireless technology speeds can be inconsistent and the service can be unreliable especially in bad weather.

Also being wireless latency can be high which can impact things like online gaming. 

Traditional Satellite broadband as per the name is where the broadband is delivered via satellite and requires you to have a dish on your house with line of sight to the satellite in space.

Speeds are usually around 15-30mbps down and 3-6mbps up.

Many packages have data caps which in this day can be very costly and constricting.

It is very expensive you can be paying aroundd £25 per month for a basic 10GB capped data plan to over £100 for over 75GB data plans you also typically have to pay for the equipment and install.

Latency is the worst out of all the Broadband types listed here therefore the overall experience will be poor and online gaming would be near impossible.

It naturally will suffer reliability issues especially during bad weather like when you loose your Sky TV signal during a rainstorm.

  

This is one of the newest broadband services and is a Low Orbit satellite broadband service. 

The most well known one is Elon Musk’s Starlink service.

Unlike traditional Sattelite broadband services like Starlink offer faster speeds upto 500Mbps down and 50Mbps up and much lower latency around the same as a FTTC connection.

There are no data caps on the plans.

Although like traditional satellite broadband services its expensive starting form £89 per month and £500 for the equipment. 

This service would suit people who can not get any other decent broadband service.

Broadband Speed:

Below is a comparison of the speeds of different broadband services in the UK: 

Full Fibre (Max Speed)
1Gbps+ both directions
Virgin Media Cable (Max Speed)
1Gbps down 52Mbps up
Starlink (Max Speed)
500Mbps down 50mbps up
Mobile Broadband (Average)
100Mbps down
Fibre to the Cabinet (Max speed)
80Mbps
ADSL (Max Speed)
24Mbps

The benefits of Gigabit Broadband

A gigabit capable broadband connection gives you access to incredible speeds that make a real difference.

You can download files faster stream multiple 4K videos and much much more. 

Typically todays networks support speeds widely of 1Gbps with Multi Gigabit speeds up to 10Gbps emerging.

In the future this can be increased in July 2021 Japan pushed this to 319Tb/s! and theoretically Fibre can go to 1Pbps!

You can even get symmetric speeds with some providers which means the download and upload speed are the same!

In some cases packages though gigabit broadband providers can work out cheaper than slower older broadband types.

For example some providers offer 1Gbps packages for £30 per month!  

Full Fibre the most popular gigabit broadband technology it is future proofed. 

Once the fibre infrastructure has been installed it can be easily upgraded in the future to offer faster speeds making it truly future proofed.

Full Fibre the most popular gigabit broadband technology is a brand-new network that uses fibre optic cables which do not suffer from the reliability issues of copper cables or flaky wireless signals where anything from a new connection to some wind and rain can take down your connection.

With FTTP you get a consistent reliable service whether your next to the exchange or 10 miles away (providing no one cuts though the fibre cable!).

Gigabit Broadband delivered via Full Fibre as well as improved line speeds you also get lower and more consistent latency which is the time it takes for the data to get from you to the server the other end.

Typically FTTC has a latency of ~25ms whereas FTTP is  2-15ms (depending on where you live)  this speeds up browsing and gives you the best gaming experience where latency is critical. 

Having a gigabit broadband connection installed into your property (or even available to it) can increase both the value and attractiveness of your property.

This is because when looking for new homes one of the key things people look for is the internet speed which is only becoming more crucial. 

Things to consider with Gigabit Broadband

The price of a gigabit broadband package and installation can vary if your lucky it can cost you less than what your currently paying for your internet.

For new network deployments in a lot of cases you can snag free install and other sweeteners to pre order.

The trade off will come with the speed you choose.

Just because its a gigabit capable broadband does not mean you need to get a 1Gbps package today.

Providers usually offer a range of speeds from 74-1Gbps typically.

You can read our handy blog about calculating how much speed you need

Some providers of gigabit broadband offer social tariffs that help low income family’s get access to  high speed internet.

A lot of people don’t plug a landline phone in these days so this one would not apply.

If you do however wish to keep your landline telephone complete with number you will have to pay extra and it will be transferred to a voice over IP service which is not a huge deal and eventually we will all be on it.

One thing to consider is any equipment you have that relies on a traditional analogue landline such as Alarm systems, care services (call bell) etc.

In some exceptional cases you may need to keep and pay for a traditional copper landline as well as the new FTTP. You can discuss this with your internet provider who will be able to give the full range of options.

Unless your already lucky enough to live in an area that already has a gigabit capable broadband service like FTTP deployed  you will have to wait maybe a few years for a network to reach you worst case 2030.

If you have a live gigabit network in your area then typically installs take place 14 working days after you place your order this does depend on the provider and if there are any complications with the install.

Depending on which network your currently on and moving to you may need to cancel your current broadband contract after your new gigabit broadband is live.

The new provider should tell you if this is the case.

This may be a bigger issue for some people but its worth keeping in mind that with FTTP installs currently you will have both a Optical Network Termination box/Modem which terminates the incoming Fibre optic cable and converts it to electrical signals which then connects to your Router and if needed telephone.

You will need to find space and power for this where the fibre comes into the house as well as the router.

The placement of your router if using this for WiFi will effect the speeds of WiFi devices around the house.

You can extend the distance between the ONT modem and your router using a longer network cable which up to 100M will not degrade performance. 

You can see a video we made showing a typical FTTP install 

With a pure FTTP connection if you also have your house phone running though this service and you have a power cut you may loose both your internet connection and telephone.

Some ONT Modems come with a battery backup option if this is critical for you ensure you discuss this with your provider before signing up.

You can of course at your own expense buy a suitable UPS to run critical equipment during short power cuts. 

Bear in mind that although your internet provider should have UPS themselves to protect their equipment this will only last for so long and during longer power cuts even if you keep your router going you may still loose internet as was seen in the storms in Feb 2022.