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You could be facing an increase in your broadband bills starting today.
If you've signed up to a newer broadband plan, you'll see a fixed pound-and-pence rise to comply with Ofcom rules introduced two years ago.
Several big providers began placing their new customers on this fixed increase in 2024. This means if you've started a new contract at that time, then you may also be included in the price hike. Here's when several providers began introducing this:
- Vodafone: Contract started on or after July 2, 2024
- TalkTalk: Contract started on or after August 12, 2024
- Three Broadband: Contract started on or after September 1, 2024
- Virgin Media: Contract started on or after January 9, 2025
These are the providers that have implemented fixed rate increases of £3 per month:
- Vodafone
- TalkTalk
- Three Broadband
These are the providers that have implemented a fixed rate increase of £4 per month:
- Virgin Media O2
- Plusnet
- BT
- EE
Broadband providers regularly save their best deals for new subscribers
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If you're faced with the prospect of paying more for the same broadband speed and service, switching to a new deal is a sure-fire way to save money — or unlock faster speeds for the same amount. If you're not quite at the end of your current deal and will be faced with an early exit fee, major providers will sometimes pay for these in the form of a credit when you switch.
Currently, Virgin Media will give you up to £250 in the form of a credit, whereas Sky and Vodafone will pay you up to £200 to switch.
BT and EE will even pay you up to £300 when you switch.
Broadband providers also regularly save their best deals for new subscribers, with loyalty rarely rewarded.
Even if you're happy with the level of service from the current provider, it could still be worth switching to cut monthly bills or unlock faster speeds for the same cost.
Get broadband and TV entertainment package from Virgin Media at lowest ever price
Enjoy fast, reliable entertainment with this all-in-one bundle. With speeds up to 362 Mbps, this package is ideal for homes with 4–6 people and 10+ devices. Access 200+ TV channels plus Netflix (Standard with adverts), including your favourite Sky channels and Sky Atlantic from April 1st. Watch at home or on the go, and customise your package with an additional TV box if needed
Switch to EE full-fibre 500 and pay £0 for the first three months
Upgrade to an award-winning broadband provider with a full-fibre 500 package from EE. Built with Wi-Fi speeds that can power busy homes, you can stream your favourite TV shows and movies in 4K, take part in online gaming and work from home. EE guarantees 425Mbps download speeds and at least 75Mbps upload speeds.
This package comes with the Smart Hub 7 Plus — capable of powering Wi-Fi 7 — the fastest Wi-Fi standard available for your home or office.
Switch to Sky's Full-Fibre 500 at its "lowest ever price"
Sky has just dropped the price of its Full Fibre 500 to its lowest ever — the same price as its Full Fibre 300 offer. These high-performance speeds are great for busier homes and can handle multiple simultaneous 4K streams, lag-free gaming, fast 100GB+ file downloads, and robust remote working
Full Fibre 500 is available in 60% of UK homes.
With 500Mbps, your home can comfortably support heavy-duty internet use on multiple devices at once. Ultra-HD streaming, online gaming, large file downloads, cloud backups, smart home devices, and video calls can all run simultaneously without slowdown or buffering. It’s an excellent choice for busy households, remote workers, or anyone who simply wants consistently fast, reliable fibre broadband.
Plusnet will pay you £140 to switch to its Full-Fibre 900 broadband deal
If full-fibre 500 speeds still aren't enough for your busy household, Plusnet is offering a £140 reward card for its eye-wateringly fast full-fibre 900 plan. These super-fast download speeds are particularly well-suited for large, device-heavy households, competitive gaming, content creation, and seamless 4K/8K streaming for dozens of devices per month
However, if you need even faster speeds in your house, a full-fibre 900 package may be a better fit.
These eye-watering download speeds are particularly well-suited for large, device-heavy households, competitive gaming, content creation, and seamless 4K/8K streaming for dozens of devices per month.
Switch to full-fibre broadband from Vodafone
Upgrade to a Pro Broadband package from Vodafone that ships with its latest (and fastest) Wi-Fi 7 router. You'll also benefit from a backup internet connection, powered by Vodafone's 4G network, if there's a broadband outage in your area. Until now, the fastest router offered by Vodafone shipped with Wi-Fi 6E.
Traditional fibre vs full-fibre broadband
Traditional fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables to the street cabinet, then relies on copper phone lines for the final connection to your home. This combination of fibre and copper is older technology, meaning speeds are slower and can vary depending on distance from the cabinet.
On the other hand, full-fibre uses fibre optic cables all the way to your home. This provides consistently faster, more reliable internet, capable of handling multiple devices, 4K streaming, online gaming, and smart home technology.
Openreach is currently ploughing ahead with an ambitious goal to upgrade 25 million premises to full-fibre broadband by December 2026. Earlier last year, the BT-owned firm revealed 17 million homes had been successfully upgraded to the speediest full-fibre internet connection. These next-generation connections offer download speeds up to 1,600Mbps.
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If you're unsure about what broadband speed you need in your home. We've put together the average download speeds for an hour-long television show episode in Standard Definition (SD), roughly 450MB in size.
- 69Mbps, the average broadband speed in the UK: 56 seconds
- 150Mbps, the lowest speed available with most full-fibre packages: 24 seconds
- 500Mbps, widely available from all full-fibre providers: 7 seconds
- 900Mbps, ideal for busy households with multiple devices per person: 4-5 seconds
- 1Gbps (or 1,000Mbps) is not available from all broadband companies: 4 seconds