UK mobile, broadband outpace delivery targets

The success of UK government initiatives to accelerate the roll-out of gigabit broadband and 4G/5G across all parts of the country has been spelled out in financial terms in the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT’s) annual report, and accounts for the 2024–25 time period, making particular note that with the increased uptake of broadband nationally, suppliers have made higher profits than originally anticipated in some areas.

The report covers the accounting period of 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, and presents not just the UK government’s outturn for 2024–25, but also planned expenditure for 2025–26. Overall, DSIT says that in the second year of its operational existence, it has seen a significant expansion of both the department and of its agenda. It claims to have continued to play a central role in “driving the UK’s leading position in science and technology”.

Looking at the major communications mechanisms, the report notes that through the Shared Rural Network scheme, aiming to deliver 4G coverage to places where there is either limited or no 4G coverage at all, the UK government’s 95% geographic UK landmass target for the programme was met at the end of 2024, a year ahead of the December 2025 deadline.

4G geographic coverage from at least one mobile network operator stood at 96% by January 2025. The government is also aiming for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have higher-quality standalone 5G from at least one mobile operator by 2030. By January 2025, 5G coverage – combined standalone and non-standalone – was available outside 96% of premises across the UK.

In the realm of fixed communications, the report notes the rapid progress of access to gigabit networks, adding that in November 2023, gigabit broadband was available to less than 80% of UK premises, but by November 2024, total gigabit broadband availability rose over the period by 6.1% to total 85.7%. This is more than double the coverage level in 2021.

Publishing its view in March 2025 on the steps needed to give the UK almost total access to full-fibre connectivity, UK comms regulator Ofcom noted that full-fibre broadband was on course to become available to 96% of homes and businesses in the next two years, and that its proposal in the Telecoms access review 2026-31 will promote the necessary levels of competition and investment in full-fibre networks to hit this target.

At the heart of the growth was the work done by Building Digital UK (BDUK), DSIT’s executive agency providing public money for broadband deployments that are mandated to provide wholesale access to passive, active, backhaul and dark fibre. The UK government’s recent Spending Review saw BDUK gain £1.9bn to fund gigabit broadband services to 99% of UK premises by 2032. BDUK capital grants for core departments and agencies for 2024/25 totalled £269m.

The report emphasises that during the year, by introducing rolling market reviews, adding a further 12 signed contracts, tactical delivery through voucher projects and efforts to remove barriers on regulations, DSIT through BDUK almost doubled premises under contract to over a million premises.

It also notes that total innovation programme grants increased by £225m, predominantly attributable to the increase in capital grants of £205m that BDUK awarded relating to the Project Gigabit programme; Shared Rural Network and the Superfast Broadband initiative.

The latter has proved markedly successful. The scheme has a take-up claw-back for the recovery of grants paid to suppliers for provision of superfast broadband in areas that were deemed at the time not to be commercially viable.

The report observes: “With the increased uptake of broadband nationally, suppliers have made higher-than-originally-anticipated profits in some areas. Under the terms of this grant programme, these excess profits are clawed back by the department.”

The total claw-back for the year was £34.584m.