How to check broadband and mobile signal before you move

Use Ofcom’s free checker to see which broadband speeds are available at an address and how likely a mobile signal is indoors and outdoors on each network. Then confirm with providers and the seller, because the checker shows predictions, not a guaranteed service.

Checked 16 Oct 2026

Start with Ofcom’s checker

Ofcom, the communications regulator, runs a free broadband and mobile checker. Enter a postcode, choose the address, and it shows the broadband speeds available there and the likely mobile coverage from each network. It brings together data from the main broadband providers and mobile networks and holds it to a single standard, which makes it a fair way to compare addresses.

The checker tells you what the networks covering the address can deliver. Individual providers’ own checkers then tell you which of their packages are available on that line, and at what price.

If no broadband predictions appear for an address, that does not necessarily mean broadband is unavailable. Check with providers directly.

Superfast, ultrafast and gigabit

Broadband is grouped by the speed a connection can deliver:

Decent: at least 10 Mbit/s download and 1 Mbit/s upload, the level the law treats as the minimum every home can ask for.
Superfast: at least 30 Mbit/s download.
Ultrafast: at least 300 Mbit/s download.
Gigabit-capable: up to 1 Gbit/s (1,000 Mbit/s), usually over full fibre to the home or an upgraded cable network.

A household where several people stream, game and work from home at once will notice the difference, especially in upload speed, which matters for video calls and sending large files. Full fibre and cable can offer much faster uploads than a connection that relies on copper telephone wires.

What is available is not the same as what you will get. Your speed also depends on the package you choose, the wiring in the home and your wifi. Full fibre may run along the street without yet being connected to the building, and in a block of flats the freeholder may need to agree before it can be installed.

Mobile signal indoors and outdoors

The checker shows, for each network, how likely you are to get a usable signal outdoors and indoors. Indoor coverage is harder to achieve: thick stone walls, foil-backed insulation, coated glass and basements all weaken a signal, so a home can have good coverage outside and patchy coverage inside.

Mobile coverage is calculated from the networks’ own predictions, so it can be wrong in individual spots, and each network’s own map may differ from Ofcom’s. Check the signal on your phone in every room when you view.

If indoor signal is weak but broadband is good, wifi calling, which most modern phones and networks support, can fill the gap.

If the broadband is poor

Under the broadband Universal Service Obligation, every home in the UK has a legal right to request a decent, affordable connection if it cannot already get one. Requests go to BT, or to KCOM in the Hull area, which confirm whether the home is eligible. The work is free up to a cost limit; above it, the householder pays the extra. Homes due to be covered by a public broadband scheme within a year may not qualify. Ofcom explains what you need to know about the Universal Service Obligation.

Where cables do not reach, fixed wireless or satellite broadband can also provide a decent connection, though satellite needs a dish on the property.

Questions to ask the seller

Which broadband provider and package do you use, and what speeds do you actually get?
Is there full fibre into the property, or a fibre point in the street or the building?
Which mobile network works best inside the home, and are there rooms with no signal?
Where does the line come into the home, and is there a socket or fibre point where you would want to work?
For a flat: has the building been wired for full fibre, and who would need to agree to installation?
Do any alarms, telecare devices or other equipment rely on the phone line? Landlines are moving to digital services that run through the broadband router, so these may need checking.

Arrange broadband as soon as you have a moving date. A new line or an engineer visit can take a few weeks, so order early if you will need to work from home straight after the move.

While you are walking round with your phone out, listen too: see how to check noise and air quality.

Check it for a specific home

The Broadband and mobile section of a HouseReport report shows Ofcom’s data at the address: the broadband speeds predicted there and the mobile signal on each network, with Ofcom’s own notes on what the figures mean. Look up any address to see its free preview, then confirm with providers before you rely on a connection.

Look up any address

The free preview shows which of these checks the report answers for that home.