Call to triple the UK’s minimum broadband speed

Key Points

Consumer Scotland wants the minimum broadband speed raised from 10Mbps to 30Mbps
A legally required review of the USO has no start date
51,211 Scottish premises cannot get 10Mbps over a fixed line
Satellite broadband could close most of the remaining gap

Consumer Scotland has called for the UK’s legal minimum broadband speed to rise from 10Mbps to at least 30Mbps.

The Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) gives households the right to request a connection of at least 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.

BT and KCOM, as the universal service providers, must build the connection where it costs less than £3,400.

Households facing a higher cost can pay the difference themselves to get connected.

UK law requires a review of the USO once superfast broadband take-up reaches 75% nationally, a threshold the UK hit in 2025.

The UK Government has not yet started the review or set a timeframe for it.

Consumer Scotland wants the review to begin in 2026 and to lift the minimum to at least superfast speeds of 30Mbps.

The watchdog also wants the review to take a technology-neutral approach, drawing on satellite, fixed wireless, standalone 5G and 6G services.

Ofcom estimates that 335,150 UK premises cannot get 10Mbps over a fixed line.

In Scotland, 51,211 premises fall below the minimum, and 43,602 of them are in rural areas.

This leaves 7.4% of rural Scottish premises unable to get the minimum speed, against 6.8% in rural Wales and 3.8% in rural England.

Highland and Orkney have the highest share of premises below 10Mbps at 7.4% each, followed by Shetland at 6.8% and Argyll & Bute at 5.6%.

Around 9,064 Scottish premises still cannot get 10Mbps from any fixed line or fixed wireless connection.

Downloading a one-hour HD episode of around 1GB takes almost 15 minutes at 10Mbps, compared with under four and a half minutes at 30Mbps.

Starlink had 15,000 subscribers in Scotland in 2025, up from 11,000 in 2024.

Ofcom estimates that only 4,000 UK premises would lack affordable access to USO speeds once satellite broadband is included.

“Improving connectivity, strengthening digital inclusion and ensuring consumers can access fast, affordable services will help people participate fully and equally in Scotland’s economy and society,” said Fraser Stewart, Head of Consumer Markets at Consumer Scotland.