Internet in the United Kingdom facts for kids
The United Kingdom has been a big part of the Internet since it first started. The UK's communication system helps homes and businesses get online using fast fibre, cable, mobile, and fixed wireless connections. The older copper phone network, which was around for 140 years, is being replaced by newer, faster internet connections.
More and more homes in the UK have gotten internet access over the years. In 1998, only 9% of homes were online, but by 2019, that number jumped to 93%. Almost all young and middle-aged adults (16 to 44 years old) use the internet (99%), while about half of older adults (75 and over) do. The UK has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world. In 2020, internet use in the UK doubled, showing how important it became, especially during that time.
The internet is also a huge part of the UK's economy. In 2020, the digital industry was worth over £140 billion each year. People in the UK also spend a lot of money shopping online, with over £110 billion spent in 2022.
The special internet address for the UK is .uk, managed by a company called Nominet. Other special addresses were added in 2014 for different parts of the UK, like .cymru and .wales for Wales, .scot for Scotland, and .london for London.
Contents
How the Internet Started in the UK
The UK played a key role in developing the internet. Scientists and engineers in the UK helped create important technologies like packet switching (sending data in small chunks), communication protocols (rules for how computers talk), and internetworking (connecting different computer networks).
Even though a lot of the early internet work was led by the United States, British researchers made big contributions. For example, Donald Davies came up with the idea of packet switching in 1965. Peter T. Kirstein at University College London (UCL) helped connect different networks starting in 1973. And Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working in Switzerland.
Early Computer Ideas
Britain was at the forefront of computer research in the 1940s. This led to new ideas and people moving between universities and companies. The trackball (like an upside-down mouse) was invented in 1946 by Ralph Benjamin. At the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Alan Turing worked on computer design, with help from Donald Davies.
Christopher Strachey, a professor at Oxford University, thought of "time-sharing" in 1959. This idea allowed many people to use the same computer at the same time, which was a big step for computing.
Packet Switching and Early Networks
After meeting with an American researcher in 1965, Donald Davies thought of packet switching for sending data. He planned a national data network and built a smaller network called the NPL network, which ran from 1969 to 1986. His team studied how these networks would work, and their ideas were used by the ARPANET in the United States, which was a very early version of the internet.
The First Internet Connections
Donald Davies and his team joined an international group of researchers in 1972. Their work was recognized by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, who are often called "fathers of the Internet."
Peter Kirstein's group at University College London (UCL) had one of the first two international connections to the ARPANET, starting in 1973. This was the first time a British academic network was linked to the ARPANET, allowing computers to share resources across countries. UCL played a big part in early internet experiments. In 1974, people at UCL were among the first in the UK to send an email.
The rules for how computers communicate on the internet, called TCP/IP, were developed in the US. Testing began in 1975 at UCL, Stanford University, and BBN. UCL's group started using TCP/IP in November 1982, even before the ARPANET fully switched over.
The Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) also helped test TCP/IP. The first email sent by a head of state was from Queen Elizabeth II at RSRE in March 1976, marking the connection to the ARPANET.
The .uk Domain Name
When researchers were creating the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1984, British researchers wanted to use country names. This led to the creation of country-specific internet addresses. The .uk internet address was registered in July 1985, making it one of the very first country-specific domains.
Initially, Andrew McDowell at UCL managed the .uk domain. Later, it was passed to Dr. Willie Black, who, with John Carey, formed Nominet UK in 1996. Nominet became a model for how other countries managed their internet addresses.
In 1989, the UK's national research and education network, JANET, connected with the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) in the United States. JANET started using internet rules (Internet Protocol) on its network in 1991.
The World Wide Web Arrives
In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, working at CERN in Switzerland, proposed a system for sharing information using links. The next year, he created HTML (the language for web pages) and HTTP (the rules for sending web pages). These ideas became the World Wide Web (WWW). The Web made it easy to create and access documents and services by clicking on links, allowing users to explore information worldwide.
British Telecom (BT) started using the Web in 1991. The BBC launched its first website, bbc.co.uk, in 1994. Other early UK websites included JumpStation, the first Web search engine (from Scotland), and The Internet Movie Database (from Wales). The Web brought many new uses to the internet, making it popular for everyday people, not just academics. It started becoming common in 1993-1994.
Dial-up Internet Access
Pipex was the UK's first commercial Internet service provider (ISP), offering dial-up Internet access in March 1992. Demon Internet helped make dial-up internet popular in the UK. By 1998, Demon Internet had 180,000 customers.
Dial-up was slow and meant you couldn't use your phone line for calls while online. It has mostly been replaced by faster broadband connections.
Broadband Internet
Broadband changed how people used the internet. It allowed phone lines to carry both calls and internet data at the same time, and it offered much faster speeds. This made it easier to browse websites and download files.
Broadband in the UK first came from regional cable television and phone companies. Then, digital subscriber line (DSL) technology allowed broadband to be delivered through existing copper phone cables. Now, wireless broadband is also available in some areas. These different technologies compete to offer the best service.
By 2007, over half of UK homes had broadband, with average speeds of 4.6 Mbit/s. Many homes started combining broadband with digital TV, mobile phone, and landline phone services. This made online advertising and shopping grow a lot.
The UK broadband market is watched over by Ofcom, a government group. In 2007, the average UK person used the internet for 36 minutes every day. By 2018, 42% of adults had Smart TVs, showing how much more internet data was being used.
Cable Broadband
Cable Internet access uses coaxial cables or optical fibre cables. The main cable provider in the UK is Virgin Media. They offer very fast speeds, up to 1.1 Gbit/s.
DSL Broadband
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) was tested in the UK in 1998 and launched commercially in 2000. Most phone lines in the UK are managed by BT Wholesale, which sells internet access to other Internet service providers. These ISPs then provide the internet connection, support, and billing to customers.
Many companies now offer their own services using a process called local loop unbundling. This means they use BT's phone lines but put their own equipment in the local phone exchanges. This has led to more competition and often lower prices and faster speeds for customers.
For example, Be started offering speeds up to 24 Mbit/s. Companies like TalkTalk and Orange even offered "free" broadband if customers signed up for their phone or mobile packages.
BT also launched faster ADSL services called "Max" and "Max Premium" in 2006, offering speeds up to 7.15 Mbit/s. The actual speed depended on the quality and length of the phone line to the home.
Fibre Broadband
Fibre optic cables use light to send data, making them incredibly fast.
FTTC and G.Fast
In 2015, BT planned to offer fast broadband (5 to 10 Mbit/s) to everyone and even faster speeds (300 to 500 Mbit/s) to 10 million homes using a technology called G.Fast. G.Fast uses existing landline cables for the last part of the connection. However, Openreach (BT's network part) decided to focus more on full fibre (FTTP) instead of G.Fast in 2019.
By 2016, Sky and BT had rolled out IPv6 support, which is a newer way for devices to get internet addresses.
FTTP (Full Fibre)
In March 2011, Openreach started building a FTTP network in Milton Keynes. This allowed BT to offer speeds up to 100 Mbit/s.
Other companies also started offering very fast fibre services. In October 2011, Hyperoptic launched a 1 Gbit/s (gigabit per second) service in London. In 2012, Gigler UK launched a 1 Gbit/s service in Bournemouth.
Virgin Media has a large optical fibre network covering many UK homes, offering speeds of 100 Mbit/s and more.
During the 2019 election, Boris Johnson promised "gigabit-capable" broadband for all of the UK by 2025. This means using a mix of technologies, including Virgin Media's cable network and 5G mobile broadband, to deliver very fast speeds.
In January 2020, Openreach announced plans to bring FTTP to 200 rural areas. The UK government also set a minimum internet speed of 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload for everyone. In April 2020, a rural ISP called B4RN launched a super-fast 10 Gbit/s home broadband service.
During the lockdown in the UK in 2020, internet use surged. Openreach reported a record amount of data flowing through their network. By May 2020, Openreach's FTTP network had reached 2.5 million homes and businesses.
The UK's traditional landline phone network is being replaced by "Digital Voice" by 2025. This means phone calls will go through your broadband router instead of old phone sockets.
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband gives you high-speed internet access through your mobile phone using a SIM card.
4G internet replaced older 3G technology, offering download speeds up to 300 Mbit/s.
5G is the newest mobile technology, offering even faster speeds and lower delays. It was first launched in the UK in May 2019 by EE, followed by Three, Vodafone, and O2.
Satellite Internet
Starlink has been available in the UK since 2021, offering internet access via satellites, especially useful in areas where traditional broadband is hard to get.
Internet Speeds in the UK
Internet speeds in the UK have steadily increased over the years.
2000s Speeds
In the early 2000s, BT introduced SDSL for businesses, offering equal upload and download speeds (e.g., 2 Mbit/s both ways), which was faster for uploading than regular ADSL.
In 2003, the Advertising Standards Authority said that 128 kbit/s cable internet could not be called "broadband" because it wasn't fast enough. By June 2005, there were more broadband connections than dial-up connections in the UK for the first time.
When NTL and Telewest merged in 2006, they became the largest broadband provider and increased minimum speeds for cable customers to 2 Mbit/s, with plans for even faster speeds. In March 2006, BT also launched its "up to 8 Mbit/s" ADSL services.
2010s Speeds
Even in 2015, some developed areas in London still had ADSL speeds limited to 8 Mbit/s, which could affect people looking to rent homes.
2020s Speeds
In March 2020, the UK government set a minimum internet speed of 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload for everyone. By May 2020, nearly 97% of UK homes could get "superfast broadband" (30 Mbit/s), and about 19% could get "ultrafast broadband" (300 Mbit/s).
In September 2020, the UK's average download speed was 37.82 Mbit/s, which was slower than many other European countries. This was partly because Openreach had focused on a different fibre technology (FTTC) instead of full fibre (FTTP) earlier on.
By 2022, the UK's average download speed reached 72 Mbit/s, moving up in global rankings. As of 2024, the average internet speed in the UK is 73.21 Mbit/s, and upload speeds have also increased. Almost all UK homes (99.7%) now have access to reliable internet speeds of 10 Mbit/s or higher.
Internet Availability Across the UK Nations
England
Broadband
Over two-thirds of homes in England now have access to full-fibre internet. As of July 2024, 69% of homes can get full fibre, a big increase from the previous year. Overall, 84% of homes in England can get gigabit-capable broadband, which means very fast speeds.
Mobile
5G mobile coverage is growing in England. Between 92% and 96% of places in England can now get 5G outdoor coverage from at least one mobile network. England has the highest 5G coverage among the UK nations.
Scotland
Broadband
In Scotland, 62% of homes have access to full-fibre networks, a significant increase from September 2023 to July 2024. More than three-quarters (77%) of Scottish homes can get gigabit-capable broadband.
Mobile
5G services are also growing steadily in Scotland. As of July 2024, 91% of places in Scotland have 5G outdoor coverage from at least one mobile network.
Wales
Broadband
Full-fibre internet has reached 1 million homes in Wales, covering 68% of residential properties. This is a 13 percentage point increase from the previous year. Gigabit-capable broadband has also increased significantly to 74% in Wales, which is the biggest increase across all UK nations.
Mobile
5G coverage is increasing in Wales. As of July 2024, 5G from at least one mobile network reaches 86% of outdoor areas in Wales.
Northern Ireland
Broadband
About 760,000 homes in Northern Ireland can now get full-fibre broadband. Northern Ireland has the highest availability of full-fibre networks among the four UK nations, with 93% coverage. This is thanks to early commercial efforts and government projects to improve broadband in rural areas.
Mobile
5G availability has also increased in Northern Ireland. As of July 2024, 5G outdoor coverage from at least one mobile network stands at 92%.
Children and Internet Access
Organizations like JANET help maintain computer networks for schools and education.
According to a 2017 report by Ofcom, more young children are going online, especially using tablets. A 2011 survey found that half of UK school children had no parental controls on their internet devices, and many parents were worried about this lack of safety features.
How the Internet is Used
- Internet usage
-
How many people use the internet, by age group
-
How many people use the internet, by gender
Internet Rules and Safety
The UK government has discussed rules for the internet, especially concerning online safety. For example, the proposed Online Safety Bill aims to make the internet safer, particularly for children. Some companies have raised concerns about how these rules might affect privacy, especially regarding encryption (a way to keep messages private).
See also
- Digital Britain
- Internet censorship in the United Kingdom
- Media in the United Kingdom
- Open Rights Group
