Home Wi-Fi News: June 2026

A useful run of data and policy news this fortnight rather than new hardware: fresh figures on which Wi-Fi standards UK homes actually run, a change to how fibre gets installed, hints of a returning broadband brand, and the latest speed league table. Here is what landed between 8 and 16 June, and what each item means if you are choosing kit or a provider.

UK runs newer Wi-Fi than most of Europe, but Wi-Fi 7 is still rare

New figures from Ookla put UK Wi-Fi 6 connections at 43.4% in Q1 2026, well ahead of the older Wi-Fi 5 standard on 38.7%, with Wi-Fi 7 still at just 3.8%. The UK looks strong against Europe partly because it freed up the 6GHz band back in 2020, a year before the EU. The honest takeaway for buyers: most homes are still on Wi-Fi 6 or older, so there is no rush to chase Wi-Fi 7, and a solid Wi-Fi 6 router or mesh remains a sensible buy. Our best mesh Wi-Fi systems for UK homes guide covers the current picks. Source: ISPreview.

Openreach trials a fuller fibre install that sets up your Wi-Fi extender

Openreach is testing an expanded “Standard” install for full fibre, where the engineer would also connect a customer-supplied set-top box or Wi-Fi extender, not just the single device covered today. The proof-of-concept runs from 13 July to 16 October 2026, capped at 250 orders per ISP. If it sticks, it means fewer households left to wire up their own extender after the van leaves, which is exactly where many home Wi-Fi problems start. Until then, if an extender is causing dead zones, the fixes in how to fix Wi-Fi dead spots still apply. Source: ISPreview.

O2 Broadband may be coming back with full fibre plans

A reader spotted a hidden page on O2’s site showing three FTTP packages under “O2 Broadband” branding, from a 500Mbps tier upward, on a short 12-month term. The page had inactive buttons and clearly placeholder pricing, and it was pulled once ISPreview asked about it, so treat the specifics as untrustworthy. Still, a fourth big-brand fibre option from VMO2 would add competition, which tends to help prices. Nothing to act on yet, just one to watch. Source: ISPreview.

Fastest UK broadband ISPs named for the first half of 2026

ISPreview’s H1 2026 study put Virgin Media top for average download speed at 265.6Mbps, with Zen Internet and Vodafone next on around 105Mbps, and Zen leading on uploads at 48.8Mbps. The big national providers averaged 100.8Mbps, up from 91.3 in the previous period. A high average says more about how many customers have taken a fast tier than about the line you would actually get, so use it as a rough guide and check the speed at your own address. If your real-world speed lags the line you pay for, our why is my Wi-Fi so slow guide helps work out whether the line or the Wi-Fi is the bottleneck. Source: ISPreview.