Full Fibre Areas - FTTP Broadband

Adviceuk3

It seems that my area is now in a FULL BROADBAND AREA and I am banging my head against a brick wall to find or renew a contract.

Because I am now FTTP through no fault off my own (Open Reach has upgraded us) it seems that the broadband on offer is more expensive that the broadband coming through cooper lines.

I just want a standard broadband along with phone to come into the property? However TalkTalk is saying that is not available and seems to be that other providers are saying the same.

Surely if I want to stay on a cooper service I should have full access to all providers offering that service? I mean I have the service coming to my house now? So why cant I go to the likes of Plus Net, Now, Shell etc?

From what I can see the only option is to take a FULL FTTP service without the landline and then pay a VOIP for calls????

It is just when I am adding my maths up that the plan I have 32mb and unlimited calls with Talk Talk at £24.00 (price matched with Now Broadband) simply doesn't exist elsewhere.

The cheapest I am finding just for the so called internet is around £32.00 PER MONTH

Could someone please provide some advice? Where do I find providers offering internet and phone? Does anyone know who is the cheapest?

HaroldWren5

Adviceuk3 said:

It seems that my area is now in a FULL BROADBAND AREA and I am banging my head against a brick wall to find or renew a contract.

Because I am now FTTP through no fault off my own (Open Reach has upgraded us) it seems that the broadband on offer is more expensive that the broadband coming through cooper lines.

I just want a standard broadband along with phone to come into the property? However TalkTalk is saying that is not available and seems to be that other providers are saying the same.

Surely if I want to stay on a cooper service I should have full access to all providers offering that service? I mean I have the service coming to my house now? So why cant I go to the likes of Plus Net, Now, Shell etc?

From what I can see the only option is to take a FULL FTTP service without the landline and then pay a VOIP for calls????

It is just when I am adding my maths up that the plan I have 32mb and unlimited calls with Talk Talk at £24.00 (price matched with Now Broadband) simply doesn't exist elsewhere.

The cheapest I am finding just for the so called internet is around £32.00 PER MONTH

Could someone please provide some advice? Where do I find providers offering internet and phone? Does anyone know who is the cheapest?

As Openreach moves the entire network over to FTTP, any landline phone service changes to Internet Calls/Digital Voice (which may be branded differently by various broadband/phone providers). The Broadband Internet Service providers may choose to offer this as a service as part of their broadband packages, or they may choose to offer only Broadband. Whilst it is now most likely cheaper to get an Unlimited Minutes Mobile SIM and Broadband than keeping the landline, it is still possible to get a Landline via FTTP. However, not everyone who offers FTTP offers a Landline option.

A quick search suggests that BT, Sky and Vodafone currently offer a Landline option as do Giganet and a few others. TalkTalk has changed to Broadband only. The old FTTC network is going to be retired so they are unlikely to permit new customers to enter into long contracts on that network as time goes by.

Prices for FTTP will go down over time given the wholesale cost is going down. It should be noted that Full Fibre is actually Fibre broadband all the way to the home. Rather than the mismarketed "Fibre internet" by most broadband providers over the years which is just Fibre to a Cabinet and copper to the property. FTTP will mean you will get a far more reliable service unlike copper, a far more consistent speed (most likely always a constant speed to the home which is equal to what you are paying for) and as the transfer over to FTTP gets completed, far better value for money in terms of sheer speed. 

The actual broadband cost comes out usually better with FTTP versus FTTC. However, the addition of the landline phone component is probably more expensive thus far since there is less competition. So it is usually only advisable to go for a Landline if it is necessary (in the event of no good mobile signal to the home).

Some options would be:

Vodafone Superfast FTTP broadband (100Mbps) and Unlimited Calls (via Digital Voice) is £36 a month on a 24 months contract. That is composed of £28 for the Internet and £8 for the Landline.
Sky "Superfast" FTTP broadband (36Mbps) and Unlimited Calls (via Digital Voice) is apparently £37 a month for 18 months. Composed of £25 for the Internet and £12 for the Landline.

BT also offer Digital Voice, though their prices are considerably higher. Giganet offer shorter contracts, but at a higher price. 

By comparison, if you can live without a Landline and switch to a Mobile phone, then you could get the cost down by taking an Unlimited Minutes Mobile SIM (probably around £8 a month) and then if the Sky speed is enough, take out that Sky package by itself for £25. Thus a total of £33 a month. Whilst it would be higher than the NOW/TalkTalk FTTC packages, you would be getting FTTP which is far superior to FTTC broadband. 

There is another option if you have a good 4G signal at the property. You can take out Mobile Broadband with Unlimited Data. The price varies depending on provider between roughly £16 a month up to £30 a month. Then you can add a Mobile with Unlimited minutes. So the price for 4G Internet and Unlimited Minutes on a Mobile totalled up would roughly vary between £24 to £38 a month with 4G speeds. And work in the event of a power cut. FTTP however would be more reliable and consistent. 

Adviceuk3

OK many thanks for the reply. So I'm limited now to suppliers just wonderful.

Couldn't I transfer my number out to someone like sipgate and just pay for the internet? I just don't know what are the best voip providers around?

Failing that it may end up going to virgin media that I'm reluctant to do.

unforeseen

I've just moved to FTTP. I have moved my phone to sipgate basic. As we make very few outgoing landline calls then it's effectively free as there is no charge for incoming calls. 

Browntoa

Openreach issue "stop sell" dates before the upgrades. After that date it is no longer possible to get them . Copper pair ADSL is a product that gets withdrawn following fttp upgrades

matelodave

AFAIK Vodaphone will offer an FTTP connection with your existing phone number (the phone connects directly into the router) and there's then only a cost if you make a phone call, incoming calls are free. They dont offer copper connections at all where I live.

I dont know what other providers are offering but I believe that OpenReach wont connect any more copper lines once they've issued a "stop sell", neither will they transfer them to another provider. 

Although I guess it may be possible to keep your existing connection with your existing provider until OR decide to shut down the ADSL connections in that area. We've had FTTP for just over four years and the phones remained on copper connections until last year when they were transferred to "Digital Voice" and the copper connection was deactivated

We changed from BT to Vodaphone in January this year and the changeover was seamless. The phone works the same way as it always did but it does disconnect if we have a power cut - but so did our DECT phones

[Deleted User]

My area went FTTP three weeks ago. There is no pressure being applied to change from FTTC or ADSL. I doubt that many of my neighbours will bother as some are in contract and others are happy with their present FTTC provider. 

My FTTP connection went live this morning. I chose a different ISP as it was offering a free FTTP installation along with a 50% discount for 4 months. Overall, the coming 12 month cost will be £96 less than I am paying at the moment with a 5-fold speed increase. I have just ceased my existing FTTC connection.

iniltous

The area may have been upgraded to FTTP but you haven’t been upgraded unless you agreed to it, you obviously could stay on whatever system you currently are on with your current provider for the time being , if your compliant is that the deal you have been offered  isn’t very good and you cannot shop round as if you move it would have to FTTP , then unfortunately for you there are many more complaints about the lack of full fibre access, complaints about not being able to shop around for the cheapest copper deals are not going to get anywhere 

armith

The main problem is that "copper" connections are currently too cheap - in real terms cheaper than they have ever been. I'm paying £20(ish) for an internet connection that isn't that great - but just about allows me to WFH a couple of days a week, allows streaming TV and provides unlimited (analogue) landline calls to any UK landline or mobile number 24/7.

And all this is simple for the end user.

The prices offered by ISPs for FTTP would have been considered low even just a couple of years ago - but they're higher than we've got used to paying. And it's not as easy as it used to be. The VOIP telephony providers, outside of the ISPs, are by-and-large not household names (Sipgate, Voipfone etc) - and the service actually costs money. The VOIP phone companies seem traditionally set up to serve business customers and any residential offering is more of a sideline. There's probably not a great untapped market for cheaper VOIP domestic telephony when an unlimited calls mobile sim can be had for a fiver or so, which is the way it's probably best for most people to go.

Over time the FTTP price will probably go down in real terms - despite the best efforts of some ISPs in baking in price rises. Until then it's going to be a case of paying a few £££s a month more for internet. I reckon I'll be around £8 a month more when I go FTTP - £8 I could really do without paying - but I could also do without paying the extra £120 a month extra for gas and electric, which puts things into context a little.

HaroldWren5

armith said:

The main problem is that "copper" connections are currently too cheap - in real terms cheaper than they have ever been. I'm paying £20(ish) for an internet connection that isn't that great - but just about allows me to WFH a couple of days a week, allows streaming TV and provides unlimited (analogue) landline calls to any UK landline or mobile number 24/7.

And all this is simple for the end user.

The prices offered by ISPs for FTTP would have been considered low even just a couple of years ago - but they're higher than we've got used to paying. And it's not as easy as it used to be. The VOIP telephony providers, outside of the ISPs, are by-and-large not household names (Sipgate, Voipfone etc) - and the service actually costs money. The VOIP phone companies seem traditionally set up to serve business customers and any residential offering is more of a sideline. There's probably not a great untapped market for cheaper VOIP domestic telephony when an unlimited calls mobile sim can be had for a fiver or so, which is the way it's probably best for most people to go.

Over time the FTTP price will probably go down in real terms - despite the best efforts of some ISPs in baking in price rises. Until then it's going to be a case of paying a few £££s a month more for internet. I reckon I'll be around £8 a month more when I go FTTP - £8 I could really do without paying - but I could also do without paying the extra £120 a month extra for gas and electric, which puts things into context a little.

I think it's important to take note that whilst you, or some others might get an average speed that is usable on FTTC, that MANY MANY houses who are stuck with copper lines (in most cases the same area), cannot even get more than 1Mbps, or even less and that too wholly unreliable. Thus paying £20-35+ (some have to pay £40+! if they are stuck in long contracts with the BT style price increases) for such a service is naturally not going to be considered either good value for money, or justified in the age of Gigabit internet. The copper packages are also variable speeds unlike FTTP which delivers the speed you get on the tin. You could be on the same FTTC package of "Up to 35Mbps", but people will be paying that same price for just 1Mbps. They are obviously going to be peeved off to say the least. And have had to suffer for years. The FTTP rollout thankfully is finally starting to happen more rapidly in the UK and we are beginning (emphasis on beginning) to catch up with other nations who did this far earlier. The price will indeed come down over time with the wholesalers reducing the cost. And more competition is coming into the space as far as the customer facing broadband providers go. At least with broadband, you can theoretically go for a 4G short contract mobile solution for speeds which would be faster than ADSL/VDSL via FTTC. And then ramp up to FTTP if you can see a good deal. The issue is really for Landline telephony if required where competition thus far in that space isn't high thus the price has stayed high for that additional service. At the moment, there isn't much way round that (yet). As far as broadband goes, you get way more reliability and speed bang for buck (bandwidth for pound) when on FTTP. 

Richard_T_

My area has now gone to full fibre only, at the moment I am contracted to now broadband at £21/month for VDSL and inclusive landline calls.

 When this contract ends I would like to find a similar priced deal, or something for under £25 a month with includes calls, plus the ability to use my own router/ equipment and leave whatever the ISP supplies in its box.
As I'm now in FTTP only (for new contracts) this will have to be on FTTP  , the options out there seem somewhat limited