Broadband deals?

[T4tomo]

So do Truespeed, Country Broadband, B4RN, etc. ie not over OpenReach cables.

Gigaclear lays its own too.

Yes there some niche regional players that target gaps in the openreach network. Do your research before using though.....

The other options are Starlink or a 5G router if you have reliable mobile signal but no FTTP locally

 

[Binky]

OK, thanks all for info.

Just got off phone to Plusnet and they have given me a very good deal, basically £5 a month cheaper than currently and as good if not better than any others I've seen.

It definitely pays to talk...

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes there some niche regional players that target gaps in the openreach network. Do your research before using though.....

The other options are Starlink or a 5G router if you have reliable mobile signal but no FTTP locally

Gigaclear is centrally contracted to deliver a network to secondary/rural locations.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Not sure unreliable broadband's a thing anymore, is it?

I guess it depends on what region you are in and what the infrastructure is like. I've been with VM twice, and both times there were widespread total outages for 15-24 hours. But if it's a local issue (i.e. if they have to dig up the road and install a new junction, which they then cover and seal with some sort of jelly) then it's not really the supplier at fault, more the historical infrastructure. But of course that's not a regular problem.

Customer service-wise, I've had exceptionally good and exceptionally poor service from VM, Utility Warehouse and Vodafone. VM actually sent us a new router when our old one was blinking red (even though fully functional) which they didn't have to do. So we are quite pleased with them so far. In contrast, utility warehouse signed my dad up and then kept him waiting 12 days with no internet because of some document he didn't have, and they didn't seem very knowlegable about anything on the phone. But they were fine when I dealt with them 5 years ago.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Any idea what your 5G Three and Vodafone mobile data reception is like at home?

Mr Switch on HotUKDeals (regular poster) posted a promo code deal for another SIM sold by Scancom, this one was a one-off £60 payment for 1000GB per month until Feb '28 iirc, quota renews on 7th each month.

There's been a few 5G routers posted recently.

We spent £190 on a TP-Link nx200 router from Amazon and a 500GB SIM for £90 back in December '25, expires July '28. Bit tight with our streaming, PS5 game downloads plus pc gaming, but yet to use all a month's quota and it saving us hundreds of squids over our old £32.50 pcm NowTV landline phone and BB.

Plus heck of a lot quicker, 26/6Mbps gone to ~500/50 with same sub 30ms latency for gaming.

 

[Binky]

Where I live only get 4G and for my mobile use 10GB a month is ample.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Where I live only get 4G and for my mobile use 10GB a month is ample.

Same here - although I don't even know if my phone could receive 5G. I just pay £5 a month for 10GB (my 'anniversary present from its previous 5G), 1000 minutes of calls and texts - I only ever use 1GB even if I leave the phone on 4G all month
I just checked and the extra 5GB isn't permanent - No worries as I'd never use it, I guess it's a 'carrot' to generate a future sale.

 

[Dan Lotus]

I was with Plusnet but ime there were outages, and the hardware they provide is not the greatest, though of course you could by your own router to improve that part of it.

As I am wfh probably 95% of the year, and it's critical I am able to do so, I went with Zen internet - effectively the First Direct of the fibre world.

Started off with a fairly fast connection, and a really high quality router - upgraded to full fibre about 2.5 years in, and then bumped up the speed to double the previous one for no extra cost.
The few times I have had to use support they have been excellent, the biggest and only outage (Aside of one day when there were a few blips) was a month or so ago.
Woke up on a Saturday to no internet and a flashing light on the router.
Diagnosed eventually as the router itself being the issue, and in the meantime I was able to create a dial up connection via a 25 year old mega long rj45 connection to at least keep working.

The new upgraded router arrived by Tuesday, and was happily pretty easy to configure and get everything back up and running, including the two routers I have set up as access points etc etc.

 

[DCBassman]

Also, remember FTTC is itself being phased out out as Openreach retire the copper phone network.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Also, remember FTTC is itself being phased out out as Openreach retire the copper phone network.

Trouble is that there are still a fair number of places where OpenReach have no plans (nor apparently intent) to roll-out FTTP. eg where none where I live and none where next brother lives and none where youngest brother lives (we all get FTTC and I live only 150 m from my nearest cabinet).

Are they just going to discontinue any service to these areas?

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

The bargain 1000GB per month SIM post I mentioned earlier, £59.99 one-off payment, expires 6th Feb '28.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/th...-with-code-business-effective-ps261pm-4873797

 

[ColinJ]

Trouble is that there are still a fair number of places where OpenReach have no plans (nor apparently intent) to roll-out FTTP. eg where none where I live and none where next brother lives and none where youngest brother lives (we all get FTTC and I live only 150 m from my nearest cabinet).

Are they just going to discontinue any service to these areas?

It was like that here. I put my details on their system and would occasionally get a message saying that we would be getting fibre 'soon', but nothing much happened...

Then, last summer they informed me that it would be available within a month. I signed up with Plusnet and got connected a few weeks later. I now have a solid 300 Mb/s connection for around £30/month. I could have paid extra for an even faster connection but I am the only person using it and it is fast enough for me.

Once you have a fast connection, it is a pain to go back to a slow one. Big downloads that used to take an hour now take less than 2 minutes!

I am hoping that a possible problem doesn't happen... I just noticed that roofers are working from scaffolding a few houses down the road. The top of that scaffolding is only 1 metre from my fibre feed, which comes from a telegraph pole at the end of the back alley. It would be very easy for the fibre to be damaged when they eventually take the scaffolding down... Fingers crossed!

 

[derrick]

Yes I'll be doing that but in meantime if anyone has thoughts on other suppliers be good to know.

I'll also add reliability will top price as well for me as wife needs reliable broadband for work. I realise that contradicts slightly my original post but I get a bit bloody minded if I think a business is trying to rip me off and broadband suppliers never seem to offer same deals to keep existing customers which to me seems daft.

Talk talk for us, never had a problem, apart from them putting price up. but as said earlier you can talk to them and do a deal, that's my findings with them.

 

[Oldhippy]

TP link, buy the router and aerial and a giffgaff 15 quid unlimited sim and good to go.

 

[T4tomo]

Talk talk for us, never had a problem, apart from them putting price up. but as said earlier you can talk to them and do a deal, that's my findings with them.

Talk Talk have recently sold their broadband business to Utility Warehouse - who will be putting your price up....I'd check your bill if I were you.....