UK Government Launches Consultation on Broadband Access for Flats

London, December 2025 — The UK government has initiated a public consultation to address ongoing difficulties in bringing high-speed internet to apartment buildings and leasehold properties across the country.

The Digital Divide in Multi-Dwelling Units

While Britain has made considerable progress toward its 2032 target of nationwide gigabit broadband coverage, reaching 89% of properties overall, apartment buildings are falling behind. Current figures from May 2025 reveal that 86.1% of residential properties can access gigabit-capable connections, but this figure drops to 79.6% for flats. Approximately 1.2 million apartments in England and Wales remain without access to these high-speed connections.

The government views gigabit-capable broadband as crucial for economic development and maintaining Britain's competitive edge internationally. The telecommunications sector contributes £50 billion to the national economy.

Existing Framework Proves Insufficient

Current legislation, including the Electronic Communications Code and the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021, was designed to enable agreements between network providers and property owners. The 2021 Act specifically introduced expedited court procedures when landlords ignore access requests from operators.

However, significant obstacles persist. Network operators struggle to identify the correct parties for negotiating access rights, and freeholders often lack motivation to respond to deployment requests.

Proposed Solution: Empowering Leaseholders

The government's proposal centers on giving residents more power to request broadband improvements. Under the plan, residential leaseholders would gain an implied right within their existing lease to request gigabit-capable connections from their freeholder. Correspondingly, freeholders would face a legal duty not to unreasonably deny such requests.

This mechanism would work alongside existing regulations, serving as an encouragement for freeholders to engage with network operators and begin negotiations promptly.

The proposed policy would apply to residential leaseholders in buildings containing two or more dwellings and would cover any connection delivering speeds of at least 1,000 Megabits per second.

Public Input Sought

The consultation period will remain open until February 2026, inviting feedback from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, property sector, and general public.

As Britain continues its digital infrastructure expansion, this initiative represents a targeted effort to ensure apartment residents are not left behind in the country's broadband rollout.