South Yorkshire Celebrates Hitting 95 Percent Gigabit Broadband Coverage

The South Yorkshire Digital Infrastructure Team, which primarily works under the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to accelerate the rollout of fixed gigabit broadband (1000Mbps+) and 5G mobile networks, has today celebrated having surpassed their target of reaching 95% of homes and businesses in the region with gigabit lines.

The figure was officially achieved in early November 2025, thus besting the target that had been set in the South Yorkshire Digital Infrastructure Strategy, which aimed for 95% coverage by the end of 2025. The figure also exceeds the national UK coverage level for gigabit connectivity, which currently sits just shy of the 90% mark (here).

So far the vast majority of these coverage improvements have flowed from commercial deployments, such as via networks from Openreach, Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), CityFibre, Netomnia (Brsk) and Pine Media etc. But the government’s prior Superfast Broadband (SFBB) programme also contributed some full fibre (FTTP) coverage, while the latest £5bn Project Gigabit scheme aims to extend gigabit broadband “nationwide” (c.99% of premises) by 2032 (here).

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:

“These days getting online and staying connected isn’t a luxury; it’s vital. Whether we’re working from home, running a business or getting online for a doctor’s appointment, we all rely on a decent internet connection. That’s why we’ve been working to fix it and get more people across South Yorkshire than ever access to the fastest internet there is. It’s about building a fairer, more connected South Yorkshire that’s fit for the future.”

Ofcom currently predicts (here) that gigabit coverage will reach anywhere between 91% to 97% of the UK by January 2028.