Britons are consuming mobile data at record levels as younger generations shift away from traditional broadband and rely more heavily on smartphones.
Ofcom’s latest figures show that mobile data use in the UK has surged to more than 1.2 billion gigabytes each month in 2025. This is almost 20% higher than last year and marks a new national record. To illustrate the scale, this is equivalent to 400 million HD football matches, 315 billion TikTok posts or more than one quadrillion text-only WhatsApp messages.
4G still carries most of the nation’s mobile traffic, but 5G usage has risen by more than 50% over the past year. The trend highlights the dominance of smartphones and how heavily Britain now relies on mobile connectivity over fixed line broadband.
Full Fibre Rollout Rises But Adoption Lags
Full fibre availability has reached 78% of UK homes, up from 69% last year. However, only 42% of households with access have taken up the service. While this is higher than 35% in 2024, millions are still choosing not to upgrade to faster and more reliable fibre connections.
Analysts at New Street Research forecast a net decline of around 250,000 broadband subscribers this year. This would be the first fall on record and is particularly visible among Gen Z users in short term accommodation who are increasingly tethering devices to their smartphones.
Satellite And Wireless Alternatives Gain Momentum
Providers such as BT increasingly face competition from new technologies. Starlink passed 100,000 UK customers in 2025, driven by rural demand where fixed line infrastructure is harder to deliver.
Fixed Wireless Access is also gaining traction and is expected to be a major growth area for VodafoneThree following their 15 billion pound merger.
Networks Race To Keep Up With Demand
Mobile networks are under heavy pressure as data usage climbs. Outdoor 5G coverage now reaches 97% of the country from at least one provider, yet the UK still ranks lowest in the G7 for 5G download speeds. MPs have warned that inconsistent speeds are limiting productivity.
Operators are accelerating the rollout of standalone 5G which operates independently from older 4G systems. Ofcom reports that 83% of the UK now has access to standalone 5G from at least one network. This upgrade provides faster speeds and greater reliability and is essential for supporting the UK’s growing data requirements.
What This Means For The Data Cabling Industry
The rise in mobile data use might suggest declining demand for fixed networks, but the reality is the opposite.
In fact, it strengthens it. Higher mobile traffic increases pressure on the core network which relies entirely on fibre, structured cabling and data centre capacity. Mobile networks are only wireless at the first hop, and every increase in 4G and 5G usage pushes more load into the fixed fibre backbone and the data centres that power it. This drives continuous demand for new cabling, upgrades, backhaul routes and infrastructure expansion.
- Offices and Commercial Buildings Will Stay Wired
Although younger consumers rely on mobile connectivity at home, businesses cannot depend on mobile-only solutions. Companies require:
- • Reliability
• Consistent Bandwidth for Large Teams
• Resilience and Redundancy
• High Security and Controlled Environments
• Support for VoIP, CCTV, Access Control And AV
• Compliance And Audit Trails
Structured cabling remains the backbone of commercial connectivity. Wi-Fi and 5G still sit on top of a high-quality wired foundation.
- Demand For Cat6A and Fibre Is Growing
Across office fit outs and enterprise environments, Bauhaus is seeing rising demand for:
- • Cat6A Installations
• Multimode and Singlemode Fibre in Risers and Comms Rooms
• Containment Upgrades For Higher Density Installs
• Cabinet Swaps, Patching And Rack Reorganisation
• Data Centre Cabling As AI And Cloud Usage Accelerate
Even if residential fibre uptake is slow, commercial demand is increasing sharply.
- Fixed Wireless Access Still Requires Structured Cabling Engineers
Although FWA reduces reliance on last mile fibre for homes, it still needs:
- • Rooftop Installations
• Point to Point Alignment
• Internal Cabling to Network Distribution Points
• Power, Mounting and Commissioning Work
This creates ongoing demand for skilled cabling engineers, fibre techs and field engineers.
- Data Centre Growth Remains Strong
More mobile data means more pressure on:
- • Core Network Capacity
• Backhaul Fibre Routes
• Edge Data Centre Expansion
• Hyperscale Builds
Every gigabyte consumed on a mobile device still travels through data centres and fibre.
- Starlink Will Not Replace Structured Cabling
Satellite broadband has its place in rural homes but offers no real alternative for:
- • Commercial Offices
• Public Sector Buildings
• Healthcare
• Education
• Finance
• Logistics
• Data Centres
These environments require controlled, stable, wired infrastructure with predictable performance.
Final Thoughts
Mobile data usage is rising fast and younger generations may be choosing not to install broadband at home, but this shift does not weaken the structured cabling industry. It strengthens it. More mobile traffic increases the load on the core fibre network, on data centres and on the commercial infrastructure that keeps businesses connected.
For Bauhaus Recruitment, demand for structured cabling engineers, fibre specialists and data centre professionals remains strong and is likely to grow further as 5G expands and AI-driven data consumption accelerates.
