If you’re looking for fast internet access, you need fibre optic broadband. But which provider should you choose? Is fibre broadband available in your area? Once you know the basics about fibre broadband, you should be able to choose the right deal and get the speed that suits your needs, and that’s what we’ll explain in this guide.

Depending on where you live, different types of broadband are available. These each have different speeds, availability, cost, and suitability for specific uses. Understanding these factors, and how the physical infrastructure is limited by distance and landscape will help you to make the right decision when it comes to choosing a new fibre broadband provider.

What is fibre optic broadband?

Traditionally, telephone systems used copper cables to transmit voice calls. Later, these were also used for data, but internet access was slow. With fibre optic cables, data is transferred much quicker.

Along with faster network infrastructure and more powerful hardware, this is why current fibre optic broadband speeds are far faster.

Types of fibre broadband:

Three types of fibre optic broadband are available. These are FTTC, FTTP, and HFC. FTTC and FTTP are mainly used by BT’s Openreach network, upon which most well-known fibre broadband providers operate (such as BT, Shell, TalkTalk, Plusnet, etc.). HFC, however, is used only by Virgin Media.

FTTC

Fibre to the Cabinet means that the fibre optic cables are run from the local exchange to a cabinet in your neighbourhood. From here, traditional copper cables route the data to your home.

FTTC is slower than FTTP, but is more widely available and consequently more affordable.

FTTP 

Conversely, Fibre to the Premises means fibre cables are run from local cabinet to your home, in place of copper cables. As such, FTTP is faster and more expensive. It is more common in metropolitan areas and new housing estates.

HFC 

Limited to Virgin Media is Hybrid Fibre Coaxial – essentially a combination of fibre optic cable and copper cable. HFC is faster and slightly more expensive than FTTC and FTTP, and is limited to zones where Virgin Media’s cable network has been laid. While the Openreach network is available almost anywhere, Virgin Media only has 55% coverage of the UK.

Note that in some areas, Virgin Media employs FTTP fibre broadband to at least one in four properties, a commitment it made as part of its Project Lightning network expansion.

Checking if you can get fibre broadband in your area (or the area you plan to move to) is easiest by employing a postcode checker. 

All you need to do is input your postcode. The results screen will display all of the fibre broadband offers available (this even works for rural areas). These can usually be sorted by price, speed, or contract length. Sorting by monthly cost and setup cost can also help.

Not that many rural areas cannot get fibre broadband. Where it is available, speeds are typically slow, mainly due to copper cables and distance from the local exchange. 

When you check fibre broadband deals, you will notice a big difference between Virgin Media deals and the others. For example, Virgin Media’s slowest fibre broadband (currently the M125 package with an average 132Mb speed) is roughly around the same price as Sky’s 59Mb package (Sky Broadband Superfast).

Of course, thanks to the Openreach network having greater coverage, you’re more likely to be able to get Sky Broadband Superfast than Virgin Media. 

If you’re looking for speed and savings, consider a provider more associated with mobile phones. Vodafone and EE (top speed 67Mb) both offer discounts to broadband subscribers if they take out (or already have) a mobile phone contract.

The main, and obvious difference between fibre broadband and standard broadband (ADSL) is speed. 

While the top speed of standard broadband is around 10Mb, fibre broadband can currently reach as high as 1Gb on Virgin Media (the Gig1 package) or 67Mb on an Openreach line. Shell, Vodafone, and BT are among the companies offering that speed.

Fibre cables retain the data better than copper. Because ADSL relies purely on copper cables, the signal degrades quicker, reducing data quality and speed.

You’ve probably heard of cable broadband, the technology that Virgin Media built its business on. This is now referred to as fibre broadband, with improvements in technology and better infrastructure enabling faster speeds.

The term “cable broadband” popularly refers to Virgin Media because of this legacy, although it’s no longer accurate. Like Openreach networks, Virgin Media routes data to a cabinet in your area using fibre-based cables. From this cabinet, the Virgin Media cables send data to and from your property, like Openreach’s FTTP model. Virgin Media also offers FTTP in some locations, mostly to businesses.

Whether you need fibre broadband internet depends on how you use online services. If all you do is browse the web and do some light shopping, then you probably don’t need fibre broadband. Standard broadband will probably do; while slower, it is also cheaper.

However, if your internet activity includes streaming video on Netflix, YouTube, Disney Plus, etc., or you make video calls, spend a lot of time on social media, play online games, or upload video media, then fibre broadband is the best way to ensure these activities are fast and enjoyable.

Entry-level (~30Mbps) fibre offers the best value for money and is ideal for a single person. The more people who reside in your property, however, the greater the internet speed requirement.

Comparing deals can be confusing. In most locations, you’ll have multiple fibre broadband deals and providers to choose from. How do you make the right decision? What is the most important thing to check?

Speed

As you might have gathered, the big draw is speed. Greater speeds are perfect for anyone with online gaming or media editing and upload requirements. Finding a fast fibre broadband deal should also be a priority for large households. We recommend an entry-level service with a speed around 30Mbps as the minimum for anyone, but you may need to go much faster depending on the number of people in your home and how the internet is used.

Monthly cost

Finding a deal that suits your monthly budget is important. They typically begin at around £20 a month, but you can find savings by sticking to broadband only deals, rather than bundling TV in if you don’t need it. With some providers, you can also ditch the landline.

Overall cost

The overall cost of a new fibre broadband deal can include a few hidden extras. While set-up costs are a thing of the past, and routers are almost always free, installation is a different matter. If there is no existing line to the property, there is a fee for fitting this (and remember, if you rent, your landlord will need to give permission for a new line to be installed.)

Usage limits

Having a cap on your fibre broadband internet can result in larger bills. If there are any fibre broadband deals with usage limits, ignore these in favour of unlimited packages.

Contract length 

Fibre broadband contracts can be monthly, annual, 18-month or 24-month deals. Monthly, rolling contracts tend to be the most expensive, while providers typically offer 18 or 24-month contracts at the best prices. 

Perks and rewards 

To soften the blow of a long-term lock-in, you’re may be offered a discount or gift card. Remember, you’ll probably be receiving a free router, which is a pretty good reward as it is.

Some deals offer a new phone or tablet, or even a games console or TV. 

Finding the right offer for your budget and speed requirements can take time, so weigh up your options carefully.

Can I get fibre broadband without a phone?

If you need to save money on a new fibre broadband deal, it is possible to sign up without a phone. Virgin Media and BT both offer broadband without a phone service, as do FTTP providers. However, FTTC fibre broadband uses the same line as data, so you won’t be able to do away with this on most providers, with the exception of BT — you won’t need the phone, but you will need a phone line.

Is fibre broadband unlimited?

Data usage caps are mostly a thing of the past. Consequently, most fibre broadband deals are unlimited.

This means that there should be no limit on the data you can download or upload. Unsurprisingly, unlimited fibre broadband is perfect for streaming video, online gaming, and uploading videos.

Is fibre broadband better for businesses?

Unless your business is window cleaning or gardening, you almost certainly need fibre broadband. Office environments naturally need the fastest speeds available, as do creative industries. But even industries like car mechanics need a good fibre broadband bundle to ensure they can reliably order replacement parts.

Fibre broadband deals for businesses are listed separately from domestic deals. But if you work or operate a business from home, you need a standard domestic fibre broadband package.

Is fibre broadband available everywhere in the UK?

Due to the physical requirements of infrastructure, there are some portions of the UK that don’t have fibre broadband. Crucially, Virgin Media only covers 50-60% of the UK, although this is increasing.

The Openreach network is more widespread, but some locations still rely on old ADSL. 

Alternatives to fibre broadband are available. Some rural areas have good mobile internet links, for example, which can be used instead. While the speeds aren’t as high, mobile internet is a workable alternative.

When will fibre come to my area?

The Openreach website includes a page detailing fibre broadband availability. This outlines the rollout of fibre broadband, with 25 million premises expected to be on the network by December 2026.

For Virgin Media, the rollout is at a different rate and appears to be focused on new builds. You can sign up for notifications on the website but you’re more likely to get Virgin Media’s fibre broadband by moving into a property that either already has it, or is on the Virgin Media network.

How is fibre broadband installed?

If you need fibre broadband installed in your property, physical groundwork is required.

Should your local area be connected already, then this will mean running a cable from a local cabinet to your home. Virgin Media cables are run underground, usually through gardens or under footpaths, while the Openreach network can use elevated telegraph cables from the cabinet.

Installing in the property means drilling through the outer wall, and mounting a dedicated junction box. This is where the cable is attached to the router. Setting up the router is usually part of the service, but as they’re mostly plug-and-play devices, this shouldn’t take long to configure.

Fibre broadband rollouts into new areas almost certainly mean footpaths being dug up and inconvenience to the populace. 

Can I switch to fibre broadband?

If your current internet provider offers fibre broadband already, you can probably switch to it. In fact, they would encourage it if fibre is available in your area. 

Remember to use a postcode checker tool to see what speeds and deals are available in your area.

Note that if your provider doesn’t offer fibre broadband in your neighbourhood, if you’re under an existing contract switching might be costly. However, if the prospect of switching to a 100Mb Virgin Media fibre broadband deal appeals more than your slow ADSL connection, it might be worth paying the cancellation fee.

What is the cheapest fibre broadband?

Finding the cheapest deal isn’t difficult but you’ll need to research it as the market is changing daily, with new offers and discounts made available for limited times. You might find a great low-price deal from one provider, but it turns out that a different deal works out cheaper long-term when discounts are factored in.

To find the best deal, use a fibre broadband postcode checker, specify your requirements, and sort the results by price.