How does it work?
At BroadbandDeals.co.uk we think life’s too short for slow broadband. It’s time to move on!
It’s important that you have all the information at your fingertips. We bring you more deals than any other major site – but it’s easy to narrow things down.
If you enter your postcode and use the filters on the left, your perfect package is probably in the top 10 results.
Why are broadband speeds listed as ‘average’?▲
Broadband speed advertising changed in May 2018. Providers are now required to quote the average speed available to customers on the package. That speed must be available to at least 50% of customers.
The truth is, the speed you can get depends on more than just the connection the ISP has sold you.
The maximum speed possible for your broadband depends on where you live and how many other people are sharing the connection, which can slow down in the post-work ‘rush hour’, or first thing in the morning. A connection can only be as fast as its slowest point.
Connecting to a server involves communicating over a long network made up of lots of different parts – your broadband line is just one part of this long connection.
Even if you’re on an incredibly fast 1000Mbps broadband connection, accessing to a server that can only handle 10Mbps means you won’t see more than 10Mbps.
ISPs often can’t guarantee the speed you’ll get until you’re actually connected, so their speeds are listed as the average value instead.
Can I keep my phone number when I switch broadband?▲
If you are changing broadband providers you can normally choose to keep your phone number.
It’s not a difficult thing for ISPs to do, especially if your old provider and your new provider both use the Openreach network to give you broadband.
So even if you’re changing from Sky to TalkTalk, or BT to Plusnet, you should be able to keep your phone number.
Just ask your new broadband provider and they’ll help you through the process.
The main exception is Virgin Media. They build their own cable and fibre networks, so if you are switching from an Openreach broadband connection to Virgin, your phone number will need to be transferred to the new network.
Simply tell Virgin that you want to keep your number when you sign up for a phone or broadband deal and they’ll take care of the rest.
What is ‘unlimited’ broadband?▼
If a broadband package is listed as ‘unlimited’, there are no restrictions on how much or how often you can use it. By contrast, a broadband deal with a specific data allowance will only let you use a limited amount of internet each month, and going over this limit could cost you.
The problem with a data allowance is that it is very hard to accurately calculate how much data you’ll need in a month. Any online activity, from downloading files to browsing websites and watching videos will add to your data usage and it is very hard to keep track of all your online activity.
Even worse, you often can’t tell how much data something will cost you until you’ve already used it.
Unlimited broadband avoids these stresses but you could end up spending more money than you really have to.
Will broadband give me free WiFi at home?▼
The short answer is yes.
Nowadays, almost all routers can emit a WiFi signal. So when your new router is plugged in and turned on at home, you will be able to get free WiFi that you can access on a laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Using your own WiFi is completely free, but if you don’t have unlimited data as part of your broadband deal, connecting to the WiFi will use up your data allowance.
What is full fibre/FTTH/FTTP?▼
Full fibre, FTTH and FTTP are one and the same thing. FTTH stands for Fibre to the Home, and FTTP stands for Fibre to the Premises.
FTTP is a more popular term and you’re likely to see this one being used than FTTH.
The most common way of describing this type of broadband is to call it “full fibre”.
So what is it?
It is a fibre broadband connection that uses only fibre-optic cables, that is not mixed with slower copper wiring, to deliver a broadband connection right into your home, and not via a green street cabinet.
This contrasts with the older technology of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), sold as “up to 38Mbps” or “up to 76Mbps. Fibre to the Cabinet does use a mix of fibre-optic cables and copper, and delivers home broadband through your closest green street cabinet.
Full fibre can produce speeds of up to 1,000Mbps – commonly called ‘gigabit broadband’ and written out like this: 1Gbps.
Speeds are ‘symmetric’, which means that you can get similar upload and download speeds.
By contrast, older technology like ADSL or Fibre to the Cabinet can only produce ‘asymmetric’ speeds, meaning that uploads are 10 times or more slower than downloads.
The two main companies who offer full fibre (or FTTP) broadband are Hyperoptic and Gigaclear.
These full fibre networks are still being built as we speak, so not everyone in the country will be able to get full fibre to their home just yet.
In fact only 2% of the population can get full fibre. More progress is expected throughout 2018 and into 2019.
