Choosing The Best Fibre Broadband Deals

ISP Name	Monthly subscription charge
Hyperoptic	£29.00 (£35.00 after promotion ends)
TalkTalk	£29.95 (£39.95 after promotion ends)
Giganet	£35.00
TalkTalk Business	£35.94 (£41.94 after promotion ends)
Pulse8	£36.00
Zen Internet	£38.99
EE	£39.00 (£44.00 after promotion ends)
BT	£39.99 (£47.99 after promotion ends)

How do I find the best fibre broadband deals near me?

Before you can determine the best fibre broadband deals near you, it’s a good idea to see what types of fibre connections are available in your area. The telecoms watchdog Ofcom has a useful coverage checker that can help you to see what cabling infrastructure and types of connection are available where you are.
Once you know this, you can start comparing fibre deals that will give you the kind of speed you want at a price that will suit your budget.
However, the broadband market is more competitive than ever. In an effort to engage new customers, broadband providers are constantly trying to lure customers in with promotional offers. Because deals are constantly in flux, it’s always a good idea to contact the Broadband Plans team when you’re thinking of changing broadband providers or plans.

Who is the best fibre broadband provider?

That’s a tricky question to answer. Every broadband consumer has slightly different expectations of their broadband provider. Some are motivated completely by cost, while others value performance over all. Some, on the other hand, want to know that their provider has a reputation for strong customer service.
The most popular broadband providers in the UK are detailed in the table below:

However, these are not necessarily the highest-performing in terms of customer service. When we scour Trustpilot for the highest-performing ISPs, we can see that it’s the smaller and lesser-known providers that dominate the charts.

While it’s understandable that consumers may see smaller providers as a bit of a gamble, you may not always get the best deal by following the herd.
Because everyone’s looking for something slightly different from a broadband provider, we’ll look at some of the best providers by different categories.

Best budget fibre broadband providers

Looking for a fibre deal that will give you great value for money? There are lots of budget providers that offer no-frills fibre broadband deals at great prices. In the table below, you can see our top budget fibre providers and why we love them.

Best ultrafast fibre broadband providers

If you’re looking for the fastest broadband provider in your area, you’ll need an ultrafast fibre provider that can bring you speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Let’s take a look at some of the best ultrafast broadband providers.

Best fibre broadband and TV providers

We may be living in an age of abundant streaming services. But pay TV is still alive and well. There are a number of ISPs that provide home broadband and TV packages to suit all needs and budgets.

Best fibre broadband and landline phone providers

Calling all chatterboxes! Since most fibre broadband deals (other than FTTP deals) require a line rental from Openreach, you may as well take advantage of this and make some affordable calls. Most broadband providers offer calls on a Pay As You Go basis. However, you can also add call packages to the cost of your monthly subscription.
Here are some of our favourites:

What are the best broadband deals at the moment?

Broadband deals are always changing. Which is why it’s always best to get in touch with the Broadband Plans team when you’re ready to switch broadband providers. We can help you to find the best fibre deals for your needs, budget and location.
We’ve looked at some of the cheapest deals on the market at the moment. However, in the table below, you can see some of the best value deals and bundles on the market at the time of writing.
These aren’t always necessarily the cheapest. They’re the packages that offer the best value for money. Take a look at the table below:

What fibre broadband speed do I need?

That depends on what you spend most of your time doing online. Most households get by just fine with speeds of between 36 and 50 Mbps. Ultrafast speeds (above 300 Mbps), while impressive, may be surplus to requirements for your household. They are a good fit for large families and student houses where there are likely to be multiple people and devices online at the same time.
The best place to start is to decide whether you’re a light, medium or heavy use household:
Online habits can generally be sorted into three categories:

• Light users: Use the internet to browse websites, shop online, or check their emails
• Medium users: Spend a fair amount of time on social media, browsing websites, or streaming music and video
• Heavy users: Enjoy online gaming, and peer-to-peer file sharing, or want to streaming films in 4K UHD quality

In the table below, you can see the kind of speed that’s required for common household activities:

What is the most reliable internet connection?

It’s important to have a broadband connection that’s reliable. Especially in an era where many of us are still working from home. You need to know that your connection will be there for you whether you’re working or winding down, no matter how many other people in your household are online with you.
So, what is the most reliable kind of internet connection?

Is fibre optic the best way to connect to the internet?

Yes. For most households a fibre connection is the best way to get a fast and reliable connection that will meet your working and entertainment needs. Signals travel much faster through fibre optic cables. What’s more, unlike copper ADSL connections, your distance from the exchange doesn’t matter and won’t deteriorate when you’re further from the cabinet. There are even student broadband deals available with these types of connections.
FTTC connections may fluctuate in their performance, due to the shared exchange. When there are more users online in the exchange, it may slow your speeds. An FTTP connection will give you the most reliable broadband, as the connection is not shared and goes directly into your home.

What other types of broadband can you get?

Fibre broadband is great, but it’s by no means your only option for getting online. If you’re in the 4% of UK households where a fibre broadband connection is not available, you may have better luck with one of the following:

ADSL broadband

ADSL broadband uses the copper cables of your phone line to get online. It is the most widely available form of broadband, and often the cheapest (although there are many similarly priced fibre deals). ADSL speeds typically range between 10 and 12 Mbps, although the further you are from the exchange, the slower your connection is likely to be.

Mobile broadband

Mobile networks like EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone also offer home broadband deals. These use a data-only SIM card that’s inside either a USB dongle or a mobile router. If you live in an area where there is no cabling infrastructure, you may be able to get a better broadband connection in this way depending on your network availability.
Most mobile broadband deals use 4G, achieving speeds comparable to most entry-level fibre broadband deals (around 20-25 Mbps). However, if you live in an area where 5G mobile broadband is available, you can achieve real-world speeds of around 200 Mbps and theoretical speeds of well over 1 Gbps with this.

Satellite broadband

If you’re in an area where there is no cabling or mobile network coverage, satellite broadband may be your only option. This broadcasts your broadband signal via orbital satellite, which is received via a dish attached to your home.
Most satellite broadband plans have speeds similar to ADSL and entry-level fibre deals (between 10 and 30 Mbps). However, installation costs and monthly fees tend to be high. Installation usually costs around £600, while monthly fees can range from £20 to £80 per month.

Let Broadband Plans find the best way to get you online

Not sure about the best way to get online? Need a helping hand choosing the right fibre broadband deal for your home? The Broadband Plans team are here to help!
We can scour the market to find the best broadband deal for your home’s needs and budget. We can even manage your switch to bring you better broadband faster and hassle-free.
Want to know more?
Give us a call today on 0330 818 6395 .

FAQ

What is “full-fibre” broadband?

“Full-fibre” is another term used to describe a Fibre To The Premises broadband connection. A direct fibre line goes right to your home, completely bypassing the exchange. This affords you much faster speeds and a more consistent connection throughout the day as no other households share your connection.

Can I get fibre broadband without phone line rental?

Most fibre broadband connections go via an exchange. As such, they require a line to be rented from Openreach. Line rental is included in the cost of your monthly subscription. The only exception to this is full-fibre / FTTP connections. Because they provide a direct line to your home, there is no need for line rental.

Does fibre broadband need a special router?

Not necessarily. Some budget providers use the same routers for ADSL and fibre broadband customers. However, many providers offer higher-spec routers to customers with faster fibre deals to ensure that their real-world speeds are as close to the advertised speeds as possible.

Do I need fibre broadband?

The 10-12Mbps speeds available with an ADSL connection may be perfectly adequate for smaller households. This is fast enough to stream music and HD video, browse websites, shop online and use social media. However, if you want to play lots of online games, stream in 4K, or download large files you may find that you require the faster speeds (usually 36 Mbps or more) afforded by a fibre broadband connection.