Gigabit broadband

What is gigabit broadband?

Gigabit broadband is internet that can achieve download speeds of a gigabit per second, or 1,000Mbps. These ultra fast speeds allow you to download a full-length film in a fraction of a second. The government’s target is for gigabit broadband to reach every part of the UK by 2030. But it could be in your area already.

Key features of gigabit broadband:

• The new gold standard for broadband speed
• Download speeds of at least 1,000Mbps
• Delivered through a full fibre or cable connection

Is gigabit broadband in my area?

To find out if you can get gigabit broadband where you live, enter your postcode and current provider at the top of this page. If you can filter for deals with 1,000Mbps, you can access gigabit broadband.

It’s likely that you’ll be able to, though. According to the latest research from Ofcom, 87% of UK homes had access to a gigabit-capable broadband network. This suggests the government’s Project Gigabit is comfortably on track to reach its target of full coverage by 2030.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has a map showing the percentage of homes and businesses reached by a gigabit-capable network in the UK, so you can see how your area fares in comparison with others. Top of the charts for gigabit coverage is Hull, with 99.6% of eligible buildings covered. Bottom of the list is the Outer Hebrides with 10.3%.

There’s a big difference in gigabit coverage between the countries of the UK. Northern Ireland has 94.2% coverage but Wales has only 79.1%.

How fast is gigabit internet?

Gigabit broadband allows you to transfer a gigabit of data or more in a single second (1 Gbps). There are a thousand megabits in a gigabit, which means gigabit broadband has a minimum speed of 1,000Mbps.

That’s nearly four times faster than the UK average of 285Mbps. And it would have seemed unimaginably fast not that long ago. In 2010, the European Commission announced a 2020 target for all citizens to have access to “much faster internet speeds” of 30Mbps or higher. Ofcom still classifies 30Mbps and above as superfast.

What is the gigabit broadband voucher scheme?

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) is an initiative to help provide funding for rural homes and businesses to cover the installation costs of upgrading to gigabit-capable broadband. Vouchers worth up to £4,500 are available.

The voucher scheme is part of Project Gigabit, and has a total funding pot of £5 billion. The government has signed over 30 contracts directly with suppliers to build networks in hard-to-reach places.

• The UK government has a target of getting gigabit broadband to almost every home and business in the UK by 2032. The Conservative government’s 2022 “Levelling Up” policy paper promised 99% of UK premises will be able to access gigabit broadband by 2032.

Some places aren’t getting a government-funded gigabit network but could be eligible for funding through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS). At the time of writing, this is limited to just a few regions:

• Birmingham and the Black Country
• Cambridgeshire
• Derbyshire
• Dorset
• Greater London
• Isle of Wight
• Merseyside and Greater Manchester
• Newcastle and North Tyneside
• Norfolk
• North East England
• Scotland (Central and North)
• Highland Broadband
• Wales

Am I eligible?

You can qualify for gigabit voucher funding if the place you live in has:

• No commercial broadband providers planning gigabit coverage
• No government plans for gigabit coverage
• Top speeds of below 100Mbps

Gigabit voucher funding is up to £4,500 per home or small business. But you don’t get any money directly - it’s done through suppliers. Visit the official voucher scheme information webpage to find out who your local registered supplier is. Then you need to ask them if they’re putting together a voucher-funded project. The webpage explains where to go from there.

What gigabit broadband deals are available?

As of March 2026, there are 20 providers on the Go.Compare panel offering speeds of 1,000Mbps and above. The actual speeds available to you depend on the network capability in your area. Use our postcode checker for an accurate idea.

The fastest deal we’ve got at the time of writing is with YouFibre and comes with a blisteringly fast average of 7,000Mbps (2.3Gbps). All its deals have symmetrical upload and download speeds.

Thirteen providers on our panel are currently offering deals with average speeds of 2,000Mbps (two gigabits per second) or more.

It’s worth noting that the gigabit broadband label seems to make deals more desirable. So you might notice a jump in price between deals just under the 1,000Mbps threshold and those just above it. But for most customers, speeds of 900Mbps or thereabouts can give you a near identical experience to gigabit broadband. And our research suggests around a third of UK customers are overpaying for faster broadband speeds than they need. Unless you really need gigabit broadband, you could bag a deal that’s much better value for money by going for a slightly slower option.

What can I do with gigabit broadband speeds?

Gigabit broadband gives you a lightning-quick experience, allowing you to download 4K movies in under a minute, stream 8K content and enjoy lag-free online gaming on multiple devices at once. So it’s ideal for busy households and home-working.

Here are some examples of what you can do with broadband speeds of 1,000Mbps+:

• Impressive household bandwidth: You can connect over 100 devices simultaneously, so everyone in your home can game, stream and work at the same time without any lag
• Download large files in seconds: According to Omni Calculator, it takes just eight seconds to download a 1GB file with gigabit broadband
• Enjoy lag-free gaming: You’ll get pretty much zero lag in competitive gaming, giving you the edge over competitors with a slower connection
• Seamless streaming experience: Skip any buffering on streaming 4K, 8K or VR content
• Instant cloud backups: You can upload large files and media libraries to the cloud in seconds
• Productive remote working: High-definition, professional video calls without lagging even if there are others in the home streaming or downloading large files
• Future-proof your setup: As lots of broadband contracts last for 18 or 24 months, opting for gigabit broadband means you’ve got fast enough speeds to cope with new technology or lifestyle changes, like working from home

Which providers offer gigabit broadband?

At the time of writing, we have 20 broadband providers that offer gigabit broadband:

• BeFibre
• Brsk
• Community Fibre
• Connect Fibre
• EE
• 4th Utility
• LightSpeed
• Pop Telecom
• Quickline
• Rebel
• Rise Fibre
• Sky
• The One
• Trooli
• V4
• Virgin Media
• Vodafone
• YouFibre
• Zen
• Zzoomm

Who offers the cheapest 1 Gbps broadband?

At the time of writing, our cheapest gigabit broadband deal is just £22 a month with Pop Telecom. We also have a Virgin Media deal for £23.99 a month for 1,130Mbps and a Community Fibre gigabit contract for £27 a month.

How do I compare and switch to gigabit internet?

Provided you’re out of contract, you can switch penalty-free to a gigabit broadband deal. Here’s how to do it:

1. Enter your postcode and current provider at the top of this page and hit ‘Show available deals’
2. Use our filters to select your preferred speed to 1,000Mbps+. You can also filter for TV channels, providers and contract length
3. Sort deals by speed or price and browse our available contracts to find one that’s right for you
4. Once you’ve found a package you like, hit ‘Get deal’ and complete the sign-up process

Thanks to One Touch Switch, your new provider should handle the rest of the switching process for you, so you won’t need to notify your old provider that you’re leaving. You get a 14-day cooling off period, so you can cancel your contract in the first two weeks without paying any cancellation fees.

FAQs

Last updated 14 May 2026

Catherine Hiley

Managing editor for broadband, energy and mobile

[1] As of 1st June 2026, there are 32 active broadband providers on the panel at Go.Compare