1. Introduction to BT
BT, which is part of the BT Group, is a leading broadband and phone provider in the UK with a vast customer base of over 9.3 million. Among these customers, around 1.9 million take advantage of bundled BT Broadband, phone, and TV packages to save money, while approximately 500,000 customers rely on BT Mobile services. As a dominant player in the industry, BT is well-known for its broadband, phone, and TV packages, and we have conducted a thorough review of its costs, actual speeds, and customer service performance. Our review will help you make an informed decision about whether a BT Broadband deal, with or without BT TV, is suitable for your needs. You can also conveniently start your BT order directly from our page.
2. BT Performance
BT Broadband offers a range of broadband speeds, including Broadband 10Mbps, Fibre Essential 36Mbps, Fibre 1 50Mbps, Fibre 2 67Mbps, Full Fibre 100Mbps, Full Fibre 500Mbps, and Full Fibre 900Mbps. The speeds advertised are average download speeds available to at least 50% of BT Broadband customers during peak time (8pm-10pm). It’s important to note that the actual speed you receive will depend on various factors such as your location, phone line, internal home wiring, Wi-Fi connection, and time of day. Before placing your order, BT will inform you of the likely download speed you will receive at your property.
Like other broadband providers such as Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, and EE, BT uses the ADSL and fibre broadband network maintained by Openreach, which is part of the BT Group. While BT’s speeds are similar to the average speeds of these providers, they may be slower than Virgin Media’s speeds, which uses its own fibre network and technology. However, it’s worth noting that Virgin Media’s broadband speeds come at a higher cost.
So, how does BT’s advertised download speeds compare to their real-world performance? According to Ofcom UK Home Broadband Performance Chart Data, BT’s advertised average 36Mbps FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) speeds for Fibre Essential were 33.1Mbps with a 11.7 millisecond latency/ping. Meanwhile, BT’s advertised 50Mbps FTTC speeds for Fibre 1 were 48.5Mbps with a 10.8ms latency/ping, and Fibre 2’s advertised 67Mbps FTTC speeds were 62.7Mbps with a 9.4ms latency/ping. In terms of full Fibre packages, the real-world 24-hour average speeds for BT’s Full Fibre 100Mbps and 300Mbps FTTP (fibre to the premises) were found to be 148.7Mbps and 303.9Mbps with a respective 6.9ms and 6.7ms latency/ping. However, data is currently unavailable for BT’s Full Fibre 500 and 900 packages.
In summary, BT Broadband offers a range of broadband speeds suitable for different needs. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the actual speeds you may receive can vary based on several factors. Based on the Ofcom UK Home Broadband Performance Chart Data, BT’s real-world average speeds for its Fibre and Full Fibre packages are generally close to its advertised speeds, with lower latency/ping times, indicating smoother performance.
3. 24-Month Contract: BT Prices
| Provider | Package Details | Average Speed* | Download Limit | Contract Period | Costs | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | Fibre Essential Plus Pay As You Go Calls | 36Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £26.99* 1st year cost: £323.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee, 5 Star Rating. Find out more at BT |
| BT | Fibre 1 Plus Pay As You Go Calls | 50Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £29.99* 1st year cost: £359.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £70 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With, 5 Star Rating. Find out more at BT |
| BT | Fibre 2 + Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines | 67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £33.99* 1st year cost: £407.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £100 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With, 5 Star Rating. Find out more at BT |
| BT | Full Fibre 100 + Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines | 150Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £34.99* 1st year cost: £419.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £70 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With, Limited availability. Find out more at BT |
| BT | Full Fibre 500 + Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines | 500Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £44.99* 1st year cost: £539.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £70 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With, Limited availability. Find out more at BT |
| BT | Full Fibre 900 + Pay As You Go Calls To UK Landlines | 900Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £54.99* 1st year cost: £659.88 | No Setup Fees + Add BT TV From £18p/m, Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £70 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With, Limited availability. Find out more at BT |
4. BT Home Phone
BT offers flexible and straightforward home phone calling plans, tailored to your chatting needs, along with useful features such as Call Protect. While BT Broadband packages don’t include a landline phone service, you can easily opt to add one if needed, with pay-as-you-go calls charged according to BT’s latest call rate tariffs available on their website.
For those who frequently make UK calls on their landline, BT’s home phone calling plans are a great choice since there are no restrictions on the times you can make calls. For £7 per month, you can get 700 minutes of calling time to any UK landline or mobile, day or night, with a flexible 30-day rolling contract. And if you need more than 700 minutes, you can add Unlimited Minutes for £15 per month.
If you need to make international calls, BT has you covered. With international call plan add-ons, such as Friends and Family International for £2.02 per month, you can stay in touch with loved ones living abroad with discounted call rates to 236 international destinations. For £8.61 per month, International Freedom gives you 600 inclusive minutes to BT’s most popular international destinations.
BT offers other home phone call features that can be added to your calling plan, some of which are chargeable. These features include BT 1571 Voicemail, Call Diversion, Three-Way Calls, and Caller Display.
In summary, BT’s home phone calling plans are simple, flexible, and suited to your chatting needs. With the option to add a landline phone service, pay-as-you-go calls, and international call plan add-ons, you can stay connected with your friends and family anytime, anywhere. And with features like Call Protect, BT 1571 Voicemail, Call Diversion, Three-Way Calls, and Caller Display, you can customize your plan to suit your preferences.
5. BT TV Review
BT TV is a flexible digital TV service that offers five core channel packs: Entertainment, Big Entertainment, Sport, Big Sport, and VIP. These packs are available on 24-month contracts but can be changed every month to suit your needs. The Entertainment channel pack, currently priced at £18 per month, includes the BT 4K recordable TV box, all 80 Freeview TV and radio channels, the NOW Entertainment Membership with 20 premium channels such as Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Discovery, and Comedy Central, over 300 on-demand Box Sets from NOW TV, all of Netflix, and catch-up TV using the BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, and My5 with a unique scrollback EPG. Other channel packs, such as BT Sport, Sky Sports, and Sky Cinema, can be added and changed on a monthly basis.
Many existing BT customers, as well as those switching from Sky and Virgin Media TV, use the BT TV Entertainment pack (which includes Freeview) to save money on their digital TV bills since the monthly subscription is only £18. They can then add on additional channel packs such as Sport on a flexible monthly basis.
6. Big Entertainment Package – Only £27 A Month
BT Fibre Broadband customers, both new and existing, can add the BT TV Big Entertainment pack to their online order. This package includes:
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- The 500GB BT TV 4K recordable set-top box worth £299, allowing you to pause, rewind, and record live TV
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- Over 80 Freeview TV and radio channels, including 15 HD channels
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- The NOW Entertainment Membership with 20 premium TV channels such as Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Discovery, and Comedy Central
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- Over 300 on-demand Box Sets from NOW
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- All the Sky Cinema channels, plus over 1,000 movies on demand from NOW
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- All of Netflix
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- Catch-up TV (with a unique scrollback EPG) using the BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, and My5
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- The option to add other channel packs, such as Sport (all 4 BT Sport channels and Box Nation for £15 per month) or Big Sport (all 11 Sky Sports channels and all 4 BT Sport channels and Box Nation for £40 per month)
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- The TV Everywhere app, which lets you watch the TV channels you’ve subscribed to on your mobile, tablet, or laptop
The new BT TV channel packs are a flexible and affordable way to enjoy must-have TV, and in most cases, they are cheaper than similar Virgin Media and Sky packages.
| Provider | Package Details | Average Speed* | Download Limit | Contract Period | Costs | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT Sport, BT Fibre 2 + Pay As You Go Calls | BT Fibre 2 + Sport TV Package (BT 4K TV Box With Pause, Rewind & Record, Over 80 Freeview Channels (15 In HD), The AMC Channel, All 4 BT Sport Channels With 52 Live Premier League Matches & Every Single Champions League Game + Box Nation | 67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £51.99* <br> 1st year cost: £663.87 | £39.99 setup <br> Includes All BT Sport Channels + Add Other Channel Packs Including & Sky Sports & Sky Cinema <br> Find out more at BT <br> Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £100 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With |
| TV Entertainment, BT Fibre 2 + Pay As You Go Calls | BT Fibre 2 + TV Entertainment Package (BT 4K TV Box With Pause, Rewind & Record, Over 80 Freeview Channels (15 In HD), The NOW Entertainment Membership With 20 Premium TV Channels Like Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Discovery & Comedy Central Plus Over 300 Box Sets On Demand From NOW, plus all of Netflix) | 67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £53.99* <br> 1st year cost: £687.87 | £39.99 setup <br> Includes Sky Atlantic & Sky One From NOW + All Of Netflix + Add Other Channel Packs Including BT Sport, Sky Sports & Sky Cinema <br> Find out more at BT <br> Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £100 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With |
| Big Sport, BT Fibre 2 + Pay As You Go Calls | BT Fibre 2 + Big Sport TV Package (BT 4K TV Box With Pause, Rewind & Record, Over 80 Freeview Channels (15 In HD), The AMC Channel, All 4 BT Sport Channels With 52 Live Premier League Matches & Every Single Champions League Game + All 11 Sky Sports Channels From NOW Sport With 128 Live Premier League Matches, F1, Golf Majors & More | 67Mb | Unlimited | 24 months | Monthly cost £76.99* <br> 1st year cost: £963.87 | £39.99 setup <br> Includes All BT Sport & Sky Sports Channels <br> Find out more at BT <br> Powerful Smart Hub + Speed Guarantee + £100 BT Reward Card To Go Shopping With |
7. BT Setup and Installation
For new customers, BT aims to get your broadband up and running within 2 weeks of placing your order, without the need for an Openreach engineer visit if you already have an active BT/Openreach phone line and socket. BT will handle the switch-over process and notify you via text or email when your service is live, at which point you can simply plug in the BT Smart Hub. If you’re switching from a cable service like Virgin Media, an Openreach engineer visit will be required to install or re-connect a BT phone line, which may cause the process to take a bit longer. Remember to cancel your previous service and arrange a suitable end of service date before activation.
You can track the status of your order and activation date online or via the My BT app. Note that on the day of activation, BT may switch on your broadband at any time up to midnight, and your speeds may vary during the first 2 weeks as they optimize to find the most stable speeds for your phone line.
8. Final Verdict On BT
In our assessment, BT remains the leader in providing high-quality broadband packages with innovative features, both for copper and fibre connections. Their basic fibre broadband package is reasonably priced and offers average download speeds of 36Mbps, an array of security software, a top-notch router, and future-proof technology. All their packages come with unlimited monthly download usage allowance and customer support.
If you’re looking for a bundle, you might want to consider the BT SALE, where you can get unlimited BT Fibre 2 at 67Mbps speeds for just £33.99 a month for 24 months. While this may be slightly more expensive than other competitors’ packages, it provides excellent value for money. You can also add BT’s flexible Entertainment TV Pack, including Netflix, to your online order for just £18 a month, which is more affordable than similar offerings from Virgin Media and Sky.
BT’s TV Entertainment package includes over 80 Freeview TV and radio channels with 15 in HD, the BT 4K recordable set-top box, and 20 premium TV channels like Sky Atlantic and Sky One as part of the NOW TV Entertainment Pass, with 300 Box Sets from NOW TV. There’s also a unique Catch-Up TV service that covers around 10,000 shows on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. You can add other channel packs like Sport for additional TV.
With BT Broadband, you’ll also receive unlimited free Wi-Fi minutes that can be used to enjoy wireless broadband access at 5 million hotspots across the UK, including hotels, coffee houses, and airports. It can be used with your laptop, netbook, or other Wi-Fi enabled device such as a smartphone, PS4, or tablet. Additionally, BT Cloud provides plenty of free online storage.
FAQ and Questions By Our Users Section
There can be several reasons why your broadband connection may be slow. Some of the most common causes include:
Network congestion: If many people are using the same network at the same time, it can cause network congestion and slow down your broadband speed.
Distance from the exchange: If you live far away from your broadband provider’s exchange, it can result in slower broadband speeds.
Interference: If there is interference from other electronic devices, such as microwaves, cordless phones, or baby monitors, it can impact your broadband speed.
Outdated equipment: If your modem, router, or other equipment is outdated, it may not be able to handle faster broadband speeds, resulting in slower connections.
To check your actual broadband speed, we recommend using popular third-party speed testing services such as Ookla, Speedtest.net, or Fast.com. These services allow you to test your internet connection speed quickly and easily from any device with an internet connection.
It is definitely possible to switch your broadband internet provider at any time, but it is generally recommended to do so when your contract period comes to an end, as this will allow you to avoid any cancellation charges. If you’re not sure when your contract ends, simply get in touch with your current provider and they should be able to provide you with this information.
It’s also worth noting that if your existing provider notifies you of an upcoming price increase for your broadband package, you have the right to terminate your contract without any penalties within 30 days of receiving the notice, in accordance with Ofcom regulations.
While most parts of the UK have access to standard ADSL copper broadband with average download speeds of 10Mbps, faster fibre optic broadband options such as ‘Superfast Broadband’, ‘Ultrafast Broadband’, and ‘Full Fibre’ or ‘Gigabit capable’ Broadband can offer a significantly better experience with average speeds ranging from 36Mbps to 1Gbps (1 Gigabit per second). Currently, Superfast Broadband is available to 95% of UK homes with an average fibre speed of at least 30Mbps, while around 70% of UK homes can access Ultrafast/Gigabit Broadband with average speeds of 1Gbps, largely thanks to the Virgin Media network. Various providers including Virgin Media, Openreach (used by the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Plusnet & others), CityFibre (used by Vodafone, TalkTalk and others), Gigaclear and Hyperoptic are rolling out Ultrafast and Full-Fibre broadband networks with speeds capable of 1 gigabits per second (1Gbps) in different areas across the country. For more information, check out our fibre broadband guide.
At Broadbandpicker, we make every effort to ensure that the costs displayed on our website are checked regularly and completely accurate.
The broadband speeds we display are average speeds and may vary depending on the package.
Please note that the monthly costs displayed may change during the contract period.
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