The autumn update shows that the roll-out of full-fibre broadband continues apace, with the number of UK homes with access to it rising by more than 50% in a year. The report shows that 37% of households can now get full fibre broadband, an increase from 24% a year ago, when just under seven million homes were covered.

The number of properties unable to get a “decent” broadband speed (10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload) has fallen by 38% since last year to 83,000.

Ofcom has also published research on how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are using communications services, which finds that the pandemic accelerated a shift towards hybrid working (i.e. dividing work time between home and the office) for businesses with between ten and 250 employees, making home broadband more of a priority. Around a third of SMEs (31%) with a broadband connection think it has become even more important since the start of the pandemic.

The research shows that a quarter of SMEs have switched a communications service in the last two years, with a cheaper deal being the main reason for doing so, while those that do not switch cite high satisfaction with their current provider as a reason for staying put.

The research also shows that for most SMEs, the communications market is meeting their needs. However, rural SMEs are four times more likely to be very dissatisfied with mobile reception than their urban counterparts (12% vs 3%) and twice as likely to be dissatisfied with the reliability of their internet service (15% vs 8%). To read Ofcom’s news release in full and for links to the Connected Nations autumn update and the SME research, click here.