Dan Howdle | Updated June 7th, 2022

What is ultrafast broadband?

You've heard of superfast broadband, but now along comes ultrafast. Believe it or not these terms aren't just marketing fluff and actually have very specific definitions. So what is ultrafast? Do you need it, and can you actually get it?

As the name suggests, ultrafast broadband is an incredibly quick broadband connection – a lot faster than your typical superfast broadband deal, in fact. But there's a little more to it than that, as you're about to find out.

What is ultrafast broadband?

The definition of ultrafast

To define ultrafast broadband we must also define the other types of broadband you'll commonly find out there. That way we can get a sense of scale as to how much faster it is than the typical broadband deal.

Standard ADSL broadband is a connection with a speed of less than 24Mbps (megabits per second) that arrives at your property without the use of fibre optic cables. So-called 'superfast' broadband offers speeds of 24Mbps or more, and less than 300Mbps via cables that are fibre optic part of the way to your property. 'Ultrafast' broadband is a connection with speeds of more than 300Mbps, but less than 1Gbps (one gigabit per second, or 1000Mbps) and is typically delivered via fibre optic cables running the entire route between your house and the nearest exchange.

The 1Gbps top speed, still categorised as 'ultrafast', is also sometimes also known as 'gigabit broadband'.

How fast is ultrafast broadband in real terms?

A lot of providers will sell you their broadband speeds on how much you can download and stream, and how quickly you can do it.

• Standard ADSL broadband (10Mbps-11Mbps) – Stream between one and two HD movies at the same time
• Superfast broadband (35Mbps-213Mbps) – Stream between four and 30 HD movies at the same time
• Ultrafast broadband (362Mbps-1000Mbps) – Stream between 50 and 150 HD movies at the same time

If you're looking at those numbers and thinking 'Why on earth would I ever want internet fast enough to stream over a hundred movies at once?' then you are asking the right question: Do you really need it?

Compare fast broadband deals

Do I need ultrafast broadband?

Need? Almost certainly not. This question really comes down to whether or not you want it. Your average British household doesn't actually need all that much speed. Everyday uses such as surfing the internet or streaming movies and TV only start to tax your average connection when a few people in the household are doing them at the same time.

However, there are some special cases where an ultrafast connection might be desirable (if not absolutely necessary). If one or more people in the household is a gamer who regularly downloads their games from the internet, having a fast connection means doing so will take less time. Likewise if there are members of the household who like to stream movies and TV in 4K (a very high-definition screen resolution only available to the latest TVs), a faster connection is better.

However, even if these things occur regularly in your household, a superfast fibre connection is probably going to be enough. We generally don't advise ultrafast for your average household, but if it's something you want, then by all means get it.

Who offers ultrafast broadband?

A lot will depend on where you live and whose side you are on when it comes to defining the word 'ultrafast'. Virgin Media is one of the only providers to offer true speeds over 300Mbps – the accepted minimum to be labelled ultrafast according to Ofcom – while BT labels its own fibre optic broadband packages 'Full Fibre'. Sky Broadband calls its fastest broadband ‘ultrafast’, but average speeds are only up to 145Mbps, not meeting the criteria for ‘ultrafast’ broadband set by Ofcom. There are also a number of much smaller providers which offer even faster speeds, but only to very specific locales.

• Virgin Media – The only widely-available provider to offer true ultrafast speeds (greater than 300Mbps). Virgin Media still only covers around 75% of UK homes right now, though, so you'll need to check if you can get it
• BT – Labels its Full Fibre 300 and Full Fibre 900 fibre optic broadband packages 'ultrafast'. BT has begun has recently rolled out true ultrafast broadband, but availability is currently very limited, and true average speeds with BT’s fibre optic broadband packages offer an average speed of 67Mbps.
• Hyperoptic and others – Some smaller providers use their own-built fibre networks to offer speeds of up to 1Gbps. The most notable of these is Hyperoptic, which continues to expand its network. While it's still very unlikely you can get it, it's the most likely of these smaller firms.

Can I get ultrafast broadband?

With Virgin Media the only widely-available ultrafast broadband provider, you should use our Virgin Media postcode checker to see if you can get it. Failing that, there is a slim chance you may be able to get ultrafast broadband from BT or Hyperoptic, but if none of these are available, you can use the button below to browse the fastest deals where you live.

Check your area