About SSE Broadband Fibre
SSE is one of the ‘Big Six’ energy companies here in the UK, so it is one of the popular providers of electricity and gas. However, SSE also offer some great
fibre broadband deals, with inexpensive contracts and incentives for existing gas or electricity customers.
Who provides SSE fibre broadband?
SSE Broadband uses the Openreach network, which is the same ADSL and fibre optic network used by providers such as Vodafone, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Sky. It is the largest network available in the UK, so line speeds are fairly consistent, and in line with many other UK broadband providers.
Is SSE fibre broadband any good?
SSE is a great option for those who are already customers of SSE energy, as you will benefit from existing customer discounts. The speeds are not the fastest available, but they are more than adequate for most home users. In addition, customers will have access to the SSE rewards scheme which provides early access to events held at SSE venues and arenas. There is also a free 18-month subscription available to the SSE antivirus software, with firewalls and parental controls included.
How long does it take to set up SSE broadband?
It is quick and easy to get started with SSE broadband, with all new customers sent a TG589 V2 WiFi Technicolor router as soon as they sign up. You will need to pay an installation fee of £30, however, this will be waived if you are already an SSE energy customer. An engineer may need to visit your home, although in some cases the connection can be completed remotely. If your property does not have a phone line, you will be charged £60 which is a standard fee charged by all broadband providers. On average, the whole process will be complete within 18 days.
SSE Fibre Broadband Speed
There is a single ADSL standard option which provides the slowest speeds and two fibre broadband options. Those with an SSE broadband connection will be able to choose from three possible download speeds, 11Mbps, 35Mbps and the fastest 64MBps. The average upload speeds are 1Mbps, 9Mbps and 19Mbps.
How fast is SSE fibre broadband?
The fibre broadband packages from SSE are the fastest connection types available from this provider and offer customers average download speeds of 35Mbps and 63Mbps, with upload speeds of 9Mbps and 19Mbps respectively. The speeds are in line with most other providers; however, the top tier speeds are not the fastest available. For example, BT offers average speeds of 50Mbps with its most basic fibre package and the top tier
Virgin Media broadband offers impressive speeds of 362Mbps.
What speeds are available with SSE fibre optic broadband?
The standard ADSL connection offers an average download speed of 11Mbps, which will be sufficient for a small household with occasional internet use. If you are looking to stream online videos, download games or will have many users connected at once, it is likely you will require one of the SSE fibre packages. The entry-level fibre package offers 35Mbps, which will support several connected devices within a standard home. However, for large homes or business premises, the fastest fibre package may be more suitable. This package offers download speeds averaging 63Mbps, with a potential upload speed of 19Mbps.
Does SSE guarantee speed?
The speeds offered by SSE are fairly typical of those offered by broadband providers throughout the UK. There are no speed guarantees and the exact speed you receive will be determined by several factors such as your distance from the exchange and the amount of web traffic. For example, at certain times of the day if many homes are connecting to the internet the network will be under more pressure, so SSE will reduce the speed available to stabilise the connection to each home.
In general, SSE will prioritise those using VoIP and VPN services, with peer to peer file transfers slowed down. If you would prefer more consistent speeds, providers such as Sky and BT do not manage traffic.
SSE Fibre Broadband Review
The SSE Fibre broadband packages represent great value for money, especially if you are an SSE gas or electricity customer as well. The service is reliable, security is great and there are fairly decent speeds available for the average home broadband user.
Is SSE fibre broadband good?
SSE fibre broadband is good, although if you are looking for the best package possible there are better options. For example, the WiFi router provided by SSE is perfectly functional, however compared to some providers it is a relatively basic model. The router does support dual-band WiFi, USB file sharing, printer connectivity and gigabit wired networking, however for households requiring superior performance and advanced features this router may not be up to the job.
Although, if you are looking for a simple broadband package, which is easy to arrange and get started, you will not be disappointed with SSE fibre broadband. The prices are reasonable and there are some useful extras for existing customers, so if you are unaffected by the standard router and do not require very fast speeds an SSE
fibre broadband deal is likely to be sufficient.
Are SSE fibre upload speeds good?
If you regularly upload and send large files via the internet, it is likely you will need a fast upload speed. The standard SSE package offers 1Mbps which you may find too slow, instead, we recommend opting for one of the two possible fibre packages with average upload speeds of 9Mbps and 19Mbps. These are in line with most other providers and will easily support the uploading of images and files by standard home users.
Is SSE fibre broadband good value for money?
The packages start from £23 per month, which includes line rental, so compared to some providers SSE does represent good value for money. All three packages offer unlimited data usage, so you will never have to worry about additional charges from high internet usage. Although it isn’t the cheapest fibre broadband provider, it is far from being the most expensive. Broadband prices can change regularly, so it is always worth checking deals and special offers, as cheaper prices may be available.
In terms of your home phone, you will not be charged for domestic landline calls made at the evening and weekend. However, if you use your landline regularly you should consider one of the SSE calling packages which will help reduce your bill. For example, the Anytime package costs £10 per month and will enable you to make UK mobile, national, and local calls at any time of the day for free. Alternatively, for those who need to make international calls, the Anytime Plus package which costs £12 per month will provide free calls to up to 35 countries.
SSE Fibre Broadband Packages
There are three possible SSE broadband packages, with line rental included as standard in each package. The line rental includes free evening and weekend calls, which is great value considering the entry-level price.
What SSE fibre packages are available?
In addition to the most basic ADSL connection, SSE offer two fibre packages, Unlimited Fibre and Unlimited Fibre Plus. The Unlimited Fibre package is the slower of the two superfast fibre broadband options from SSE, with Unlimited Fibre Plus being the fastest package available.
SSE Unlimited Fibre Broadband
This superfast fibre broadband package from SSE offers average download speeds of 35Mbps, with prices starting from £23 per month including line rental. This package is ideal for home users who use the internet for simple browsing, or where one or two users are looking to play online games, watch HD TV or stream music at the same time.
SSE Unlimited Fibre Plus
This is the fastest fibre broadband from SSE with average download speeds available of 63Mbps. The price is still very reasonable and starts at just £26 per month, including line rental. If there are many people in your home which regularly use the internet connection to make video calls, stream music, play games or watch Ultra HD TV, this package will support the multiple devices.
SSE Fibre Broadband Offers
The SSE fibre broadband offers do change regularly, although there is always a deal available for existing SSE energy customers. For example, currently, SSE are offering their SSE Fix and Fibre v2 Bundle, which could save customers up to £100 over 12 months. The package allows SSE energy customers to upgrade to the Unlimited Fibre Plus package, whilst only paying for the more basic Unlimited Fibre package.
How much does SSE fibre broadband cost?
The most basic SSE Unlimited Fibre package is the cheapest fibre option available and costs £23 per month, including the price of the line rental. The fastest package is just slightly more expensive and costs £26 per month, so many customers choose this option. The contracts are 18-month in length, although SSE do promise that there will be no price increases to the package cost or phone call cost during this period.
How long is the minimum contract length for SSE fibre broadband?
The standard contract length is 18 months, so if you decide to leave before your contract end date you will have to pay a fee and return the router. However, SSE does offer a 60-day guarantee, so if you are not happy with the service you can leave within your first 60 days without having to pay a fee. In the past SSE offered short term monthly deals with customers placed on 30-day rolling contracts, however as with other providers, these types of contracts are becoming very rare.
What are the SSE and TV package options?
Unfortunately, at the moment there are no TV bundle options available. If you are hoping to arrange a broadband and TV package, you may have to look to another provider. However, if you are an SSE energy customer, you may be able to save with an SSE internet connection and a separate TV package from another provider. It is always worth comparing the options available, as you may find a cheaper deal by arranging a separate TV package with one of the popular premium TV providers such as
Sky broadband or BT broadband.
SSE Fibre Broadband Checker
Fibre broadband, otherwise known as fibre-optic broadband, isn’t available to all areas of the UK just yet. However, according to Ofcom, 94% of businesses and households throughout the UK have access to superfast broadband connections. This means there is a great chance you will be situated in an area which is able to connect to an SSE fibre optic line.
How do I check if SSE fibre broadband is in my area?
Although superfast broadband is available to 94% of homes in the UK, you should always check to make sure you are within a fibre area. An easy way to check whether your home is eligible is to use the SSE fibre broadband checker on the SSE website. Simply enter your postcode and the useful tool will let you know instantly whether fibre broadband is available in your area.
What is SSE’s fibre coverage in the UK?
The SSE fibre broadband packages use a Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) connection, which uses the network of fibre optic cables throughout the UK to deliver broadband to the cabinet near your home. The closer you live to this cabinet, the faster your broadband will be. The network of fibre optic cables is owned by Openreach, which is the largest fibre network available in the UK.
SSE availability checker
The SSE availability checker only requires your postcode, however, if you know your landline phone number you will benefit from a more accurate result. The landline number will allow SSE to estimate accurately the fibre broadband speeds available to your home and if you decide to join, you can ask at the same time to keep the same landline phone number.
Although fibre broadband is being made available to more and more homes through the country, in some remote areas the cabling is not available yet. Nevertheless, even in more urban areas, some homes are situated too far from the street cabinet to be able to access fibre cables, or the cabinet may not be able to fit another connection.
If the availability checker shows that fibre broadband is not currently available for your home, you will still be able to arrange an ADSL broadband package. This will be slower than a fibre connection, however, for small households, this package may provide more than enough speed.
It is possible to register your interest in fibre with Openreach and you can also check with your local council to see if there are plans to install fibre optic lines within your area soon.
SSE Fibre Customer Services
There is a useful customer service helpline which is available Monday to Friday from 8 am until 8 pm, then Saturday and Sunday between 8 am and 2 pm. It is also possible to contact customer services by email, although there is no live chat option currently available.
What is the SSE customer service number
The customer service phone number is 0345 071 9886, which will not cost more to call than telephone numbers with an 01 or 02 prefix. However, for specific call charges, you should check with your phone network provider.
SSE fibre broadband speed test
Broadband speed is measured in Mbps, so the more Mbps you have the faster your broadband will be. Your broadband speed is measured in terms of download speed and upload speed, with download speeds much faster than upload. If you have SSE fibre broadband and would like to check both your upload and download speeds you can complete a quick line speed test, using the Ofcom broadband speed checker.
The results of your speed test will depend on your location, the device you use and the time you complete the test. For a more accurate measurement, you should test different devices at various times around your home. To improve the accuracy of your speed test you should disconnect other devices within your home from the network.
How to cancel SSE fibre broadband
If you decide to cancel your SSE fibre broadband, the quickest option is to call the customer service team on 0345 071 9886. Alternatively, you could send an email to talk.cancellations@sse.com. If you cancel within the first 60 days, you will be covered under the SSE happiness guarantee so there will be no charges to pay.
However, if 60 days have passed, you will be liable for an early termination charge which is calculated based on the time remaining on your contract. Currently, for Unlimited Fibre packages, SSE charges 39p per day, with a maximum total charge of £213.53. If you have an Unlimited Fibre Plus package you will be charged 44p per month, up to a maximum charge of £240.90.
If you are switching to another provider after your contract ends with SSE, you may not have to contact SSE at all. Instead, your new provider will complete the switchover for you and there will be minimal disruption to your broadband service.
