Why do different ISP's list different potential fibre capability?

DarthDaisy

I have been considering getting a social tariff broadband for a few years now, I hardly use the internet so I manage with mobile or visit a neighbour if I have something big to download.

I saw the MSE Social Tariffs page and it seems that BT is the cheapest but I thought I would look into paying a bit more for a faster service. I did not visit sites from any links, just went to them via google and chose their availability page.

Some sites said I could have 36mb while other say 73mb, is this a marketing ploy by those that promise higher or could it be that they do not want to promise a guaranteed service level?

There used to be a site called SamKnows which told you what your exchange was, what was installed and what you could get, that seems to be used for a different purpose now.

MyRealNameToo

You say "some sites", do you mean different ISPs are offering different speeds or that some websites that offer comparisons are showing different speeds for the same ISP?

Rodders53

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome

is the place to look to see what your current line is capable of providing. It may not be capable of the numbers offered which are "up to" figures.

Any line capable of the high 20s will be more than fast enough for most people.

Ectophile

Is this fibre to the home (FTTH) or fibre to the cabinet (FTTC)?

With FTTH, the fibre itself is capable of very high speeds. At least 1 gigabit. The price you pay is based on how much speed you want.

With FTTC, the maximum speed depends on the condition of your line and the distance to the cabinet. If all is well, 80 megabit is achievable. If not, it can be a lot less. Many providers offer two tiers, capped at around 40 megabit or 80 megabit. But because they can't guarantee what speed you will always get, they usually knock a little off as a safety margin (for them). Hence 36 or 73 megabit.

Because Openreach are insisting that new customers must have FTTH in areas where it's available, many ISPs are doing a cheaper tier where the speed is capped to match the old FTTC speeds.

herbalme

The different speeds you’re seeing are usually down to estimates vs “up to” speeds and the type of line you’re on (FTTC vs FTTP).

Comparison sites often show optimistic “up to” figures, whereas the provider’s own checker tends to give a more realistic estimate based on your actual line.

If you’re on copper (FTTC), distance from the cabinet can make a big difference, so one checker might say 36Mbps and another 70Mbps depending on assumptions.

In reality, if you’re only doing light use like browsing and the occasional download, even 30–40Mbps is more than enough – stability is usually more important than headline speed.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6666026/why-do-different-isps-list-different-potential-fibre-capability

Social tariff will at a guess, be the lowest level of service. Although some may charge more for a higher level of speed.

Not all providers offer social tariffs. So you may not be comparing apples with apples. Which we assume that you meet the criteria for a social tariff. Which low usage is not one.

Myci85

From what you've said about your typical use, the 36mbps on BT tariff should be fine. We're on that, household of 4, 3 who often work from home, 2 who do online gaming, plus we stream TV shows, have various devices connected to etc, the only time we have an issue is when our speeds drop due to line/router issues.

shiraz99

It's not a marketing ploy, they're just different levels of broadband speeds that are available and will have priced accordingly. For example you would pay extra for your (up to) 76Mbps service than the 36Mbps one. The speeds available would also depend whether you're in a full fibre (FTTP) area or not. You get what you pay for and for the most part social tariffs will offer the lower speeds available, but if you're not a heavy internet user then 36Mbps may be fine for you.

Also, if Samknows no longer exists you can use sites like Thinkbroadband or the BT Wholesale checker to see what speeds and what services are available in your area.

redux

I've found that a couple of comparison broker sites show certain product speeds available after the postcode search, but a slightly smaller number of sometimes different ones once you've selected the actual house within the postcode

Maybe something like that is happening on individual provider websites as well

For instance 150 Mb/s doesn't seem to be available here; it shows up in the first search level but not the second.

DarthDaisy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979945#Comment_81979945

Different ISP's have availability checkers, when I put in postcode some say only 36mb some say 36 or 73

DarthDaisy

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979946#Comment_81979946

Thanks, but I could not get it to give a result after I entered the address