What Is Gigabit Internet?
Gigabit internet, also called gigabit broadband, is a broadband connection with speeds of 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps), which equals 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). To put that into perspective, a gigabit connection can download a full HD film in under one minute. Not a theoretical maximum. Actual, real-world speed.
Here’s the thing most people get confused about: “gigabit” describes a speed, not a technology. It tells you how fast your connection is, not how it gets to your home. The technology behind it (full-fibre, upgraded cable, and so on) is a separate question, which we’ll get into shortly.
1 Gbps = 1,000 Mbps. That’s roughly 14 times faster than the UK’s average broadband speed.
When you consider that the UK average sits at around 72 Mbps, gigabit isn’t just a step up. It’s a completely different league.
How Does Gigabit Broadband Compare to Other Speeds?
Numbers are easier to grasp with a bit of context. Here’s how gigabit stacks up against the broadband connections most UK households currently use:
| Connection Type | Typical Speed | Time to Download a 5 GB HD Film |
|---|---|---|
| ADSL (standard broadband) | ~15 Mbps | Approx. 44 minutes |
| Superfast fibre (FTTC) | ~70 Mbps | Approx. 9–10 minutes |
| Gigabit broadband | 1,000 Mbps | Under 40 seconds |
Note: real-world speeds vary depending on your connection, equipment, and network conditions. These figures are based on the formula: file size in megabits ÷ speed in Mbps.
The raw download speed difference is striking on its own, but where gigabit really pulls ahead is in busy households. If you’ve got three people streaming, someone on a video call, and a teenager downloading a game update, a 70 Mbps connection starts to feel the strain. Gigabit doesn’t flinch.
How Is Gigabit Broadband Delivered?
Not every broadband connection can reach 1 Gbps. Getting gigabit speeds into your home requires modern infrastructure, and in the UK, there are a few ways it happens.
Full-Fibre (FTTP – Fibre to the Premises)
This is the gold standard. Full-fibre broadband means fibre-optic cable runs all the way from the exchange directly into your home. No copper. No bottleneck. It’s the most common method for new gigabit rollouts across the UK, used by providers building on the Openreach network (BT, EE, Sky, and others), as well as independent builders like CityFibre, Hyperoptic, and regional providers.
Full-fibre is also more resilient than older part-copper connections. It isn’t affected by how far you live from the street cabinet, and weather doesn’t degrade the signal the way it can with copper lines. When you get full-fibre installed, an engineer fits an ONT (optical network terminal) at your property. That’s the small box that converts the fibre signal so your router can use it.
Upgraded Cable Networks (DOCSIS 3.1)
Virgin Media O2 takes a different approach. Instead of full-fibre, they’ve upgraded their existing coaxial cable network using a technology called DOCSIS 3.1, which is capable of delivering gigabit speeds. Their cable network is now gigabit-capable across its entire UK footprint.
One honest caveat: cable-delivered gigabit speeds can vary a little more than full-fibre during peak times, because the cable network is shared between users in your area. For most people the difference isn’t dramatic, but you should factor it into your decision.
What About 5G Fixed Wireless?
5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is starting to appear as a home broadband option, particularly in areas where fibre hasn’t arrived yet. On paper, 5G can approach gigabit speeds under ideal conditions. In practice? Current 5G FWA products in the UK deliver lower and more variable real-world speeds than a wired gigabit connection.
It’s a promising technology, especially for rural areas waiting for fibre. But right now, it’s not a like-for-like alternative to full-fibre gigabit. Worth keeping an eye on, though.
What Are the Benefits of Gigabit Broadband?
Gigabit sounds impressive. But does it actually make a noticeable difference day to day? For many households, genuinely yes. The benefits show up most when multiple people are online at once, and they’ll only become more relevant as the number of connected devices in our homes keeps climbing.
Streaming and Gaming
4K streaming requires about 25 Mbps per screen (that’s Netflix’s own recommendation). A family running 4K on three screens at the same time, with someone gaming online, is already pushing past 100 Mbps of demand. Gigabit removes that pressure entirely.
For gamers specifically, the headline benefit isn’t really the speed of online play itself. It’s downloads. Modern game files regularly exceed 100 GB. On a 70 Mbps connection, that’s over 3 hours of waiting. On gigabit, you’re looking at around 15 minutes. Full-fibre gigabit connections also tend to deliver lower and more stable latency (ping) than copper-based alternatives, which matters for competitive online gaming. That said, latency depends on network routing and quality, not just raw speed.
Remote Work and Multiple Users
If you’ve ever had a video call freeze because someone else in the house started streaming, you’ll appreciate this. A high-quality Zoom or Teams call uses up to 3.8 Mbps per person. Two or three people on video calls simultaneously, plus cloud file syncing and VPN connections running in the background, and you’re easily chewing through 50+ Mbps.
Gigabit connections, especially those delivered via full-fibre, typically offer much faster upload speeds than superfast packages. That’s a real benefit for anyone regularly uploading large files, running video calls, or backing up to the cloud. Some full-fibre providers even offer symmetrical speeds (the same going up as coming down), which is something remote workers should actively look for.
Smart Homes and Future-Proofing
Smart TVs, security cameras, video doorbells, smart speakers, connected appliances. A household with 20 or more connected devices (which is more common than you’d think) places constant background demand on a connection, even when nobody is actively “using the internet.”
And the demands are only heading one way. 8K content, cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, and AR/VR applications will all push bandwidth needs higher over the next few years. Getting gigabit now means you’re set for what’s around the corner, not just what you need today. Consumer adoption reflects this too. 33% of homes in England where full-fibre is available have already subscribed, up 6 percentage points year-on-year.
Gigabit Broadband Availability in the UK
A few years ago, gigabit broadband was available to a relatively small slice of the UK. That’s changed fast. Back in 2020, roughly 8 million homes (27%) could access gigabit speeds. Today, the majority of the country is covered.
UK Coverage by Nation (2024)
According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2024 report, published in December 2024:
- England: 84% of premises (21.1 million homes) can access gigabit-capable broadband
- Scotland: 77% of premises
- Wales: 74% of premises
- Northern Ireland: approximately 93% of premises, the highest of any UK nation
Coverage is strongest in urban areas, but suburban and rural availability is growing rapidly.
Over 80% of UK homes can now access gigabit broadband. Check in seconds whether it’s available where you live.
Check Gigabit Availability at Your Postcode
The Government’s Gigabit Rollout Programme
The UK government’s Project Gigabit initiative is a public investment programme designed to bring gigabit-capable broadband to the areas that commercial providers wouldn’t reach on their own, particularly rural and hard-to-reach locations.
The targets are ambitious: 85% gigabit coverage by the end of 2025, and 99% by 2030. And progress is real. In February 2024, the government confirmed that over 1 million premises had already been upgraded through publicly funded schemes.
UK Providers Offering Gigabit Broadband
The good news is you’re not limited to one or two providers. Several major names now offer gigabit plans across different parts of the UK:
- BT/EE: Full-fibre FTTP gigabit plans via the Openreach network, available across a large and growing portion of the UK.
- Virgin Media O2: Gigabit plans over their upgraded cable network, available across their entire UK footprint.
- CityFibre: Wholesale full-fibre network in over 60 UK towns and cities, delivered to consumers via retail ISPs such as Vodafone, Zen Internet, and others.
- Hyperoptic: Full-fibre gigabit specialist, mainly serving purpose-built flats, apartment blocks, and new-build developments.
- Gigaclear: Rural-focused full-fibre provider, particularly active across rural England.
Which providers are available depends entirely on your address. The quickest way to find out is to compare UK gigabit broadband providers using a broadband comparison tool.
How Much Does Gigabit Broadband Cost in the UK?
Here’s something that might surprise you: gigabit broadband isn’t nearly as expensive as most people assume. The “luxury product” reputation is increasingly out of date (and honestly, it was always partly a marketing problem rather than a pricing one).
Typical gigabit broadband packages in the UK fall in the range of £40 to £60 per month, usually on 18 or 24 month contracts. That varies by provider, location, and whether you’re bundling with a phone line or TV package. For comparison, entry-level superfast fibre packages can be found for under £30 per month, so the premium for gigabit is often just £10 to £25 per month.
And that premium is shrinking. Ofcom reported in December 2024 that ultrafast broadband (including gigabit) saw the biggest price drop of any broadband category in 2024, with prices falling in real terms year-on-year. Competition between providers is driving costs down, which is excellent news for consumers.
A few practical things to keep in mind:
- Equipment: Most providers supply a compatible router (and an ONT for full-fibre connections) as part of the package. However, for the best wireless speeds throughout your home, a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router is worth considering. Many supplied routers don’t fully support these standards yet. A wired Ethernet connection will always deliver the most consistent gigabit speeds.
- Introductory pricing: New customer rates are often discounted for the contract term, so the price you pay may be lower than the headline figure you see advertised.
- Contract lengths: Most gigabit plans run on 24-month contracts, but some providers offer 12-month or rolling monthly options. If things go wrong, Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation scheme protects you from service outages.
Is Gigabit Broadband Worth It?
This is really the question, isn’t it? And the honest answer is: it depends on your household.
Gigabit is likely worth considering if:
- Your household has 3 or more people regularly online at the same time
- You stream 4K content, game online, or rely on video calls for work
- You work from home and need fast, reliable upload speeds
- You want a connection that won’t feel outdated in a few years as your device count grows
- The price premium in your area is modest, under £15 per month more than what you’re paying now
Gigabit may be unnecessary if:
- You live alone or as a couple with light browsing and HD (not 4K) streaming habits
- Your main internet activities are email, web browsing, and standard video streaming
- A superfast or ultrafast package (100–500 Mbps) already handles everything you throw at it without issues
The best way to work out whether upgrading makes sense is to test your current broadband speed, then compare gigabit broadband deals at your address to see what’s actually available and how much more (or less) you’d pay.
“Gigabit broadband has moved from a premium niche to a realistic option for the majority of UK households in a very short space of time. We’re seeing more and more homes on our platform become eligible for gigabit deals, and with prices falling year on year, the decision to upgrade has never been easier to make. The key is ensuring you’re comparing what’s genuinely available at your address and not just the deals being pushed by your current provider.”
— Claudia Constantin, Founder, Switchity
Common Misconceptions About Gigabit Internet
Gigabit broadband is still relatively new for most UK households, so a few myths have taken hold.
“My Wi-Fi will be gigabit fast throughout my home”
Not quite. Gigabit refers to the speed of the connection entering your property, not the speed every device receives wirelessly. Most standard home routers top out at 300–600 Mbps over Wi-Fi, even with a gigabit connection feeding them. Walls, distance from the router, and interference all reduce wireless speeds further. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E routers get closer to gigabit wirelessly, but for the full speed, a wired Ethernet cable is still the way to go.
“Gigabit means 1 Gbps upload as well as download”
Usually not. Most gigabit packages advertise 1 Gbps download but offer asymmetric upload speeds, typically ranging from 50 to 900 Mbps depending on the provider and technology. Some full-fibre providers do offer symmetrical gigabit (1 Gbps up and down), but it’s not the default. Always check the upload speed in the package details before you sign up, especially if remote work or content creation is part of your daily routine.
“5G will replace the need for gigabit broadband”
5G is impressive mobile technology, and under ideal conditions it can approach gigabit speeds. But for home broadband, full-fibre gigabit connections are currently more consistent, more reliable, and deliver lower latency than 5G fixed wireless alternatives. 5G FWA is a useful option where fibre isn’t available yet, but it’s not a direct replacement for a wired gigabit line.
“Only tech enthusiasts need gigabit”
This was probably fair five years ago. It isn’t any more. Modern households with multiple remote workers, children streaming and gaming, and a growing collection of smart devices can genuinely benefit from gigabit. What feels like overkill today has a habit of becoming the baseline tomorrow. Just think about how quickly we went from considering 10 Mbps “fast” to complaining about anything under 50.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gigabit Internet
How many Mbps is gigabit internet?
Gigabit internet is 1 Gbps, which equals 1,000 Mbps. That’s approximately 14 times faster than the UK’s average broadband speed of around 72 Mbps. In practical terms, at 1 Gbps a 5 GB HD film downloads in under 40 seconds. At the UK average speed, the same download takes around 9 to 10 minutes.
What is the difference between gigabit and full-fibre broadband?
They describe different things. “Full-fibre” (also known as FTTP, Fibre to the Premises) refers to the physical infrastructure: fibre-optic cable running directly into your home with no copper. “Gigabit” refers to a speed of 1,000 Mbps. Full-fibre networks are commonly used to deliver gigabit speeds, but not every full-fibre package is gigabit. Some full-fibre providers offer 100 Mbps or 500 Mbps plans too. Gigabit broadband is usually delivered via full-fibre, but they’re not interchangeable terms.
Is gigabit broadband available in my area?
It’s now available to the majority of UK homes. As of mid-2024, Ofcom’s Connected Nations report shows 84% coverage in England, 77% in Scotland, 74% in Wales, and approximately 93% in Northern Ireland. Availability is highest in urban areas and expanding rapidly in suburban and rural locations through the government’s Project Gigabit programme. The best way to check your specific address is to enter your postcode into Switchity’s comparison tool.
How much does gigabit broadband cost in the UK?
Gigabit packages typically cost between £40 and £60 per month, depending on the provider, your location, and whether you’re bundling with other services. Prices are falling: Ofcom confirmed that ultrafast broadband (including gigabit) saw the biggest price drop of any broadband category in 2024. Standard superfast packages often start under £30 per month, so the gigabit premium can be as little as £10 to £15 extra. Most plans run on 18- or 24-month contracts, though shorter options exist.
Do I need special equipment for gigabit broadband?
Most providers supply a compatible router as part of the package, and full-fibre installations include an ONT (optical network terminal). To get the most out of gigabit speeds wirelessly, a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router helps, as older models can cap your wireless speeds well below 1 Gbps. For the fastest, most consistent experience, a wired Ethernet connection from your router to your device is recommended. Your Wi-Fi speeds will typically be lower than the headline gigabit figure.
Will gigabit broadband improve my online gaming?
Online gaming itself doesn’t need enormous bandwidth, so you may not notice a difference during gameplay. The two big benefits for gamers are downloads and latency. Modern game files often exceed 100 GB. On gigabit, that’s around 15 minutes. On a 70 Mbps connection, it’s over 3 hours. Gigabit plans delivered via full-fibre also tend to offer lower and more stable ping times than copper-based connections, which can improve competitive online gaming performance.
Is gigabit broadband worth the extra cost?
It depends on your household. Gigabit offers the most noticeable benefit for homes with 3 or more regular users, those streaming 4K on multiple screens, remote workers needing fast uploads, and households with many connected devices. For lighter users, a superfast or ultrafast package at 100 to 500 Mbps may offer better value. With gigabit prices continuing to fall, though, the gap is narrowing fast. The best way to judge is to compare current deals at your postcode.
Not sure what broadband type is right for you? Read more broadband guides from Switchity on full-fibre broadband, speed tests, and how to switch providers without losing your service.
Compare Gigabit Broadband Deals at Your Address
Availability has caught up, prices are dropping, and switching has never been more straightforward. Whether you’re escaping an old ADSL connection or weighing up the jump from superfast to gigabit, the smartest move is to see exactly what’s on offer where you live.
Gigabit broadband is now available to millions of UK homes, and prices are falling. Enter your postcode to see the best gigabit deals available at your address right now.
