Fibre broadband deals

How to choose a fibre broadband deal

Dan Howdle | September 25th, 2024

To some, choosing a new fibre broadband deal can be as simple as using the comparison tools on this page and selecting something they like the look of. For others, the plethora of speeds available, differing contract lengths, varied routers, extras and add-ons, bundling options, and indeed just which provider is likely to provide them the best service can be a little overwhelming.

Here then, step-by-step, we are going to take you through exactly what you need to consider when choosing a new fibre deal, starting with what's available to you, followed by how to choose the most suitable provider, how to choose the right speed, and finally how to choose the right package.

Check fibre broadband availability where you live

Preceding every other choice you'll need to make to select the right deal is knowing what you can actually get. For that, all you really need to do is enter your postcode to be shown all of the deals available at your address. But with that done, what does your list comprise of?

Let's start with a non-technical explanation of the two types of widely available fibre broadband.

The two types of fibre broadband

Standard 'superfast' fibre – Up until a couple of years ago, fibre broadband was of one type, what is now called 'Standard Fibre' and often referred to by providers as 'superfast fibre' (or FTTC by the broadband nerds). This type of fibre is available to over 99% of households, and has historically been offered at two speeds: Around 35Mbps and around 63Mbps – these numbers vary up and down slightly depending on the provider.

Full Fibre – This is the newest fibre technology, and is capable of speeds many times that of standard fibre. Providers would ideally like every customer on Full Fibre, which is why if you can get it they tend not to show you that standard fibre is even available on their own websites. It's not only faster, but more reliable, and since you tend to get better speeds for the same money or less with Full Fibre, our advice is also that if you can get Full Fibre, you should.

Here are the two types of fibre available compared side-by-side for easy reference:

Check fibre coverage

ADSL: It's worth mentioning briefly there are a handful of households dotted up and down the UK that can't get any sort of fibre broadband. If you're unlucky enough to be one of them you could be lumbered with ADSL – the creaking and ancient tech used since the early 2000s and capable of around 10-11Mbps. The households in this situation tend to be rural and remote.

Virgin Media: For the remainder of this walkthrough, we'll be treating Virgin Media as Full Fibre, since the speeds it offers are comparable. However, that's not technically true. Virgin Media has its own network which runs on a technology that's neither Full Fibre nor Standard Fibre – it's a bit of both. It has the advantage of matching the speeds of Full Fibre, but cannot match the low latency numbers proper Full Fibre can manage – something that's only important to competitive gamers.

What our expert says...

"What type of fibre broadband to get has become an easy choice. If you can get Full Fibre, you should definitely get it. It won't cost you any more and it offers superior speeds, reliability and latency. If on the other hand you can't yet get Full Fibre, providers are now mostly offering just one Standard Fibre speed (around 61-63Mbps)."

Dan Howdle, Broadband and mobile expert

Get Full Fibre if it's available

Our advice is if you're lucky enough to be able to get Full Fibre, you should. Here's why:

• Standard fibre won't save you money: Classical thinking when it comes to broadband deals is that the faster you go, the more you pay. Not so when it comes to the jump between superfast fibre and Full Fibre broadband, with entry-level 100Mbps and 150Mbps Full Fibre deals costing in many cases no more than a typical 'superfast' 63Mbps fibre package
• It's future proof: If you're on a 63Mbps superfast fibre package, you have nowhere to go if you want to upgrade your speed without another package and another installation process. Even if you get in on the bottom step with Full Fibre at 100Mbps for example, you'll in most cases get the same router the 900Mbps+ packages are getting. That means if you want or need to go faster, you can usually upgrade to the new speed in minutes
• Better router: Many providers have a two-tier router system, with the best routers reserved for their Full Fibre packages and faster speeds. If you go for Full Fibre, you'll usually get the best router on offer
• You'll get the speed advertised: Since Full Fibre doesn't use any copper cabling, there's nothing to slow your broadband down. Most customers will get roughly the speed advertised, some a little less (but not much less) and some a little more

According to the latest Ofcom data, the average speed from fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connections in the UK is 55.57Mbps, while the average of full-fibre connections is 149.2Mbps. Bear in mind though that these measurements tend to be more representative of the speed people choose on average than the potential performance of each of these technologies.

Choosing the right speed

This is important because it's absolutely possible both to overspend on more speed than you can possibly make any good use of, or to take out a package that's going to cause your household problems when everyone in it wants to game, stream, and browse all at the same time. So how do you get that right?

Well, first off, our advice in 2024 is to aim for at least 20Mbps per broadband user in your household. House of four? You'll need at least 80Mbps, or as close to that as you can get. This gets a little more complex when you have gamers and avid streamers in the household. For gamers specifically, we recommend at least 40Mbps per person. That should give you a figure to start from, before taking into account further considerations. Here's a snapshot to clarify:

For a more in-depth look at broadband speeds and really getting into the nitty-gritty of what you'll need and why you'll need it, you can read our full guide.

What our expert says...

"Estimating the right speed for your household is more art than science, because most times of the day a lot of the speed you're paying for is going to sit redundant. What you should be 'budgeting' for in terms of speed is instead what your maximum usage is going to look like at the busiest times of day."

"The thing that catches most people out is not properly accounting for gamers. Games these days don't require much speed to play online, however, three of the most popular titles this year clock in at nearly 200GB each. We cannot stress what a huge download that is, and unless you're restricting speed to certain devices via your router (some can do this, others can't), it's going to slow the entire household to a painful snail's pace."

Dan Howdle, Broadband and mobile expert

Fibre speed needed for everyday tasks

Finally, the following table may be helpful is assessing the needs for your household, showing the 'bandwidth' (how much speed) requirements of common tasks.

Choosing a fibre broadband provider

So, you've narrowed down both what you can get, and from that decided which speed would best suit your household. Problem is, you've now realised that just about every provider you can get at your address offers that speed. So how do you choose between them? In this section, we're going to take a look at what you should consider when choosing a provider, and finish up by showing you the major providers side-by-side in terms of the factors that matter the most.

Installation

Installation times are universal across all providers, all stating roughly two weeks. Sometimes it's a bit faster, sometimes a bit slower, but you'll always be given a date when you sign up. In terms of the work that needs doing, it will fall into one of three categories depending on the lines you have (or not) already running into your home.

• You have the right type of line, and it's live: Many providers will be able to send you a router in the post in this instance. Plug it in on your activation date and you're done. The most common scenario for having the right type of fibre line and it already being active is if you're switching from another provider that uses the same fibre tech (e.g. Full Fibre)
• You have the right type of line, but it's not in use: In this instance a technician will have to be sent out to activate your line remotely (at the green street cabinet). The outcome is the same, though – you'll only need plug in your router on the right date and you're off to the races
• You don't have the line: If you're new to either Virgin Media or Full Fibre, a new line will need to be installed into your home. This will mean a visit from a technician on your activation date. They will have to drill into your wall, so if you're not the owner of the property you will need permission from the owner

Pricing

You'll notice that pricing can vary wildly, even for the same broadband speeds, among different providers. Each provider sets its own price point, and more often than not that's related to their brand (BT is notoriously expensive 'because it's BT', for example). So it's a good idea to set your own budget. Rarely are more expensive providers worth the extra money, and tend to rely on your awareness and comfort with the brand more than making any real effort to offer additional value.

Contract length

Not long ago, providers would offer either 12-month or 18-month contracts, with the odd few offering one-month rolling contracts at a slightly inflated cost. Well, now there are very few 12-month contracts out there, with most plumping for 24 months, and a handful sticking to offering 18 months. Longer contracts are less ideal in our opinion since they tie you in for longer with very little in terms of compensatory benefit. Shorter contracts are better, but that does narrow your choices considerably.

See Short contract broadband and Fixed priced broadband for the latest deals.

Bundling options

Providers like Plusnet, Rebel, and Vodafone Broadband offer excellent equipment and customer service, and are great choices if you never plan to expand your subscription with a TV package or even a mobile SIM. But bundling services is an excellent way to save money, provided you want TV, a home phone or a mobile SIM (or all of the above). When choosing a provider it's worth considering what you might like to bundle in either from day one, or further down the line.

To compare and check availability, see our Broadband and TV comparison for more details.

Home phone options

All broadband providers offer a home phone, but increasingly households don't find themselves in need of one. If yours does, take your pick of providers. The main quirks to watch out for are that landlines tend not to be offered as standard on Full Fibre packages, but do come with Standard Fibre packages, with the exception of Sky Broadband, which comes with a pay-as-you-talk landline no matter which package you select. For the others you'll need to add in a calling package at extra cost when you sign up.

Customer service

Often an afterthought, customer service is completely unimportant. Until something goes wrong. At that point it is suddenly promoted to the most important aspect of a provider. Ofcom puts out annual figures on number of complaints, how complaints are handled, and customer satisfaction (shown in the table below). These figures are far more reliable than independent review sources like Trustpilot, because review sites have a heavy bias towards those who have a reason to complain.

Router/equipment

The range of routers offered both by differing providers and indeed different packages within individual providers is, how shall we put it? Dazzling? There are a lot of routers out there. Firstly, how do you know which router you're going to get? And secondly, how are you meant to assess whether or not that router is any good? This is not the place to go down that rabbit-hole. It's too deep, and too technical. However, there are some broad pointers that should help you along:

• Faster packages usually come with better routers – Higher-tier broadband deals often include more advanced routers suited for faster speeds
• Upgrades may be available – Some providers allow you to upgrade your router at additional cost (Sky Wi-Fi Max, for example)
• Mesh Wi-Fi options – Providers sometimes offer 'whole-home' mesh systems to improve coverage in larger homes. If you live in a very large house, this could be crucial

How fibre providers compare on these factors

What our expert says...

"When all is said and done, even if you don't get your choice of deal exactly right, you will be in the right ballpark. Most providers are only too happy to upgrade your speed and services should you need that further down the line. Just bear in mind that wile it's easy to upgrade, you can't downgrade, and that upgrading often requires signing a brand new contract and therefore beginning your contract period all over again."

Dan Howdle, Broadband and mobile expert

Other considerations

Finally, there are a few other factors you may wish to consider when choosing a new fibre deal. These are universal. You should:

Look for new-customer deals

Many providers offer enticing deals for new customers, such as discounted rates for the first 6 to 12 months, free setup, gift cards, reward cards or bill credit. For example, BT often offers reward cards for new sign-ups. Always check for these deals as they can reduce the overall cost of the package, or simply make it more worth your while.

Compare new customer deals

Beware of price hikes after the initial contract period

Introductory prices can be tempting, but be aware that most providers raise prices after your contract period ends. For instance, Virgin Media’s low starting rates can jump significantly when the contract renews, so it’s crucial to plan ahead or negotiate a better deal before the price increase kicks in.

Check for extra fees and hidden costs

Some providers may advertise low prices but include hidden charges like router delivery fees or setup costs. Just remember, we don't hide costs on Cable.co.uk – up-front and one-off costs are always shown in our listings.

Availability of add-ons and extras

Broadband packages can come with extras that add value to your service, such as free security software, streaming service trials and so on. Providers like Sky and Virgin Media often include free access to Netflix if you opt for a bundle, for example.

Exclusive deals for existing customers

If you already have other services with a provider, such as a mobile plan, you might be eligible for exclusive broadband discounts, or vice-versa. Sky Mobile, for example, often offers double data if you are with Sky Broadband, while EE offers money off.