Eight million UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, a record rise of three million since last year.

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But fewer than a quarter of those have chosen to upgrade to a full-fibre package, regulator Ofcom's annual Connected Nations report says.

Many could upgrade without paying more than they currently did, Ofcom said.

The number of upgrades was rising, with 750,000 homes moving to full-fibre services in 2021, but the rapid rollout meant take-up was likely to lag behind.

Feature film
Uswitch.com telecoms expert Ernest Doku said: "Taking full fibre infrastructure to eight million households is an impressive achievement - but it is sobering to think that fewer than two million are actually taking advantage of these connections."

The report reveals 47% of homes - 13.7 million - now have 1GBps-capable broadband, provided by full-fibre or the latest coaxial cable networks.

But it is based on data before the announcement of Virgin Media's upgrade, which would push the figure past 15 million to "around 65%" of homes.

In theory, 1GBps speeds would allow a feature film to be downloaded in less than a minute, Ofcom said.

The UK government has set a target of at least 85% 1GBps coverage by 2025.

Wireless technologies
But 123,000 homes and businesses are still without access to a decent broadband connection, the report estimates.

And Ofcom says it will work with the government on solving this problem, which could involve new wireless technologies and "the latest generation of satellites, which could offer good broadband services in rural areas not covered by other network deployments".

Half of properties in the UK were now in an area with outdoor 5G coverage, the report found.

Consumer take-up of 5G remained "relatively modest", at about 10% of all active devices.

But uptake was increasing, Ofcom said, with 800,000 active 5G devices in the UK in 2020 rising to more than six million handsets in September 2021.