BT Fibre Broadband Reviews

BT Fibre Broadband Review

Overview

There are many fibre providers across the UK, with BT being one of the most well-known options thanks to its popular landline products. Currently, BT offers a variety of ADSL and BT Fibre Broadband Deals, with prices starting from £28 per month. However, being the biggest doesn’t always mean they are the best. To help you decide whether BT fibre lives up to its hype, we have put together the following review.

What Speeds Are On Offer From BT Fibre?

Although BT offers standard ADSL broadband, the speeds are limited to roughly 10Mbps. If this is not fast enough for your busy home, you are likely to need the faster speeds which are available with BT fibre packages. The fibre options are ideal for homes with multiple devices and heavy reliance on fast internet connections.

There are 2 fibre options available, BT Superfast Fibre 1 and 2, with the first package formerly known as BT Infinity 1. The entry-level fibre package is BT Superfast Fibre 1, and it offers customers download speeds of up to 50Mbps. On average, customers actually receive 36Mbps and the contract is 24 months long. During your contract, the cost is £28 per month, however, this does rise to £36 per month when the initial 24-month period ends.

The faster option is BT Superfast Fibre 2, which offers impressive speeds of 67Mbps. This option is in line with the top speed available from most other fibre providers using the Openreach network, although Virgin Media does offer some much faster packages. The contract is 18 months long and costs £32 per month, which rises to £40 per month when the contract ends.

In terms of upload speeds, Superfast Fibre 1 provides speeds of up to 9.5Mbps and Superfast Fibre 2 offers speeds of up to 19.5Mbps. This is great in comparison to standard broadband, which only provides upload speeds of up to 2Mbps. If you are regularly uploading videos and images to social media or sending large files whilst working from home, the BT fibre upload speeds are likely to be sufficient.

It is also worth mentioning the two BT Ultrafast fibre packages, however, the availability of these is currently very limited. These packages are reliant on the Openreach G.Fast technology, which is still being rolled out across the country. If you are lucky enough to be located within one of these areas, you could choose from speeds of up to 145Mbps or 300Mbps.

If you want to check what speed you can get with BT you could check the BT fibre speedtest.

What Coverage Does BT Fibre Broadband Have?

If you are looking for a reliable connection, BT is a great choice. This is because BT owns Openreach, which is the UK’s largest fibre network. There are many providers which use the Openreach network, including TalkTalk, Sky and PlusNet, however, BT benefits from a unique position as the owner of the network.

The Openreach network is the largest in the UK and it is estimated that more than 16 million homes have access to BT fibre connections. Although this is an impressive figure, there are still some rural areas of the UK which are not able to access fibre.

There is a useful coverage checker tool available on the BT website, simply enter your postcode and landline number. The tool will then check whether fibre is available and the potential speeds available to you. If you are not located in a fibre area, you may still be able to receive standard BT broadband, however, the speeds will be slower.

What Router Is Supplied With BT Fibre Broadband?

According to BT, their Smart Hub router is able to produce the best WiFi signal in the UK. Unlike standard broadband which includes the BT Home Hub 4, the fibre packages include a free BT Smart Hub, although you will need to pay a delivery charge.

The router features seven individual aerials, which can be positioned to send the WiFi signal to as many rooms in the house as possible. In addition, BT has equipped the router with the latest tech available, so multiple devices can connect at the same time without disrupting the connection. There are also useful filters which block the signal from neighbouring routers, which will improve the stability of your connection.

How Long Does BT Fibre Installation Take?

On average, BT fibre will take two weeks to install. If your home already has an active phone socket and line, you may not require an engineer visit. BT will simply switch the phone line to your new fibre connection, so the installation could be quicker. However, if you are switching to BT from a cable service such as Virgin Media, or you do not have a phone line in place, you will need to wait for a new BT line to be installed.

Is BT Customer Service Any Good?

Customer service reviews do vary for BT and according to Ofcom, the latest customer survey found BT to score below average for its broadband and landline services. The latest Ofcom survey actually ranks BT as the second-lowest in terms of customer satisfaction, with TalkTalk positioned in the bottom spot.

Conclusion

Every fibre provider has its advantages and there is no doubt that BT is one of the biggest names in the fibre market. The provider certainly has the scale, but this also means there is a lack of flexibility which some smaller providers are able to offer. For example, there are no rolling one-month contracts available and prices will rise once your BT contract finishes.

There are some great benefits when it comes to choosing such a prominent provider, including TV packages such as BT Sport, WiFi hotspot access, cloud storage and premium security software options. Our advice is to look out for the best offers from BT, as the prices can be competitive if you plan on taking out a package which includes TV options and landline calls.

Advantages Of BT Fibre

• The fibre speeds are in line with many other providers and the connection is fast enough for most homes.

• The free BT Smart Hub is an excellent router in comparison to many other providers.

• Prices are competitive when package bundles are chosen, including TV and landline options. It is also possible to use a variety of cashback offers.

Disadvantages Of BT Fibre Broadband

• Customer satisfaction scores are low and there are reports of customer service levels declining in recent years.

• Lack of short one-month contracts means that customers are tied into lengthy contracts.

• Prices automatically rise when contracts finish, so it is important to compare other packages before your BT contract ends.