Can I get TalkTalk in my area?

• Check availability
• TalkTalk broadband
• TalkTalk phone
• Contracts, pricing & fair usage
• Information for new customers
• Your comments

Check availability

As with most providers, the availability of TalkTalk broadband packages varies across the UK.

The quickest and easiest way to find out if TalkTalk is available in your area is to use our TalkTalk postcode checker below. It’s free to use and we won’t share your postcode with anyone.

Who is TalkTalk?

TalkTalk is a provider of home and business broadband and phone services. Unlike most other providers TalkTalk doesn’t offer any broadband only packages; all packages come bundled with either off-peak or anytime calls.

As a company TalkTalk has a very high media profile. They advertise heavily online, on TV and in the press. In their advertising they focus heavily on the relatively low cost of their packages.

TalkTalk broadband

Is TalkTalk broadband fast?

TalkTalk home broadband has an advertised top download speed of 24Mb. This makes TalkTalk’s home broadband packages among the fastest such services in the UK.

As with any other broadband package which uses phone lines to transmit data, the actual speed that you’ll get will vary according to a number of factors. These factors include the quality of your line, how far you are from your local exchange and how modern your exchange is.

When you use the postcode checker above we’ll be able to give you an estimate of the actual speed you can expect when you join TalkTalk, taking into account the above factors.

Some other things can affect your broadband speed such as increased network activity at peak times but such factors would affect you no matter which home broadband provider you opted for.

Fibre optic broadband

TalkTalk is now fibre optic broadband provider with download speeds up to 40Mb and you’ll get the choice of 40GB or unlimited monthly download allowance when you sign up.

As with their home broadband packages, both TalkTalk fibre optic broadband deals come bundled with either evening and weekend or anytime calls.

TalkTalk phone

Inclusive calls options

TalkTalk offers two types of inclusive calls packages that can be taken as standalone services or in bundles with broadband.

TalkTalk Essentials and TalkTalk Plus come with inclusive landline calls to UK landlines during evenings and weekends as standard. Qualifying calls must be no longer than 60 minutes in length and must be made between 7pm and 7am Monday to Friday or between midnight on Friday and midnight on Sunday.

For an increased fee you can opt for anytime calls. As the name suggests, with this type of bundle you can make as many calls as you like all day, every day without being charged. Again, all calls must be of 60 minutes or less to qualify.

Whichever level of inclusive calls you opt for you’ll be able to make unlimited anytime calls to other TalkTalk phone customers, and to the technical support line.

TalkTalk operates a fair usage policy on its inclusive calls plans. If they believe that you're making too many calls TalkTalk reserves the right to contact you to discuss upgrading you to a business calls plan instead.

Can I keep my existing phone line?

No, when you subscribe to a TalkTalk package you’ll have to switch your line rental payments to TalkTalk.

TalkTalk’s line rental is £14.95, which is slightly cheaper than BT, and you can usually keep your existing number when you make the switch. The beauty of switching your line rental is that you’ll only have one bill to pay each month for all of your broadband, line rental and call charges.

If you don’t have an existing BT line to transfer TalkTalk can arrange to have a phone line installed for you.

Contracts, pricing & fair usage

Is TalkTalk broadband expensive?

No, TalkTalk packages are very competitively priced. All TalkTalk broadband packages include either evening and weekend or anytime calls, so you need to compare TalkTalk’s deals with other broadband and calls bundles, not with other broadband only deals.

When you compare in this way you’ll see that both TalkTalk Essentials and TalkTalk Plus are amongst the cheapest packages of their type available in the UK.

Usage limits

Their most basic broadband package, TalkTalk Essentials, has a monthly download allowance of 40GB.

40GB is a very respectable download allowance and should be plenty for most web users. If you need a higher download allowance in any given month you can purchase a Mega Download Boost for £5. This will double your usage allowance for the month to a massive 80GB.

TalkTalk Plus is advertised as an unlimited broadband package, although it is governed by a fair usage policy.

Fair usage policy

The TalkTalk fair usage policy is used to ensure that exceptionally heavy usage by a small number of users doesn’t impact on the level of service enjoyed by the rest of its customers.

If TalkTalk feels that a customer is regularly making excessive use of its service their download speed may be reduced, especially at peak times.

In instances where users are regularly downloading what TalkTalk considers to be an unreasonably large amount of data they reserve the right to upgrade their package and charge them accordingly. In exceptional circumstances they are also entitled to cut customers off.

The good news is that TalkTalk says that unless you use peer-to-peer file sharing systems such as BitTorrent, or you continually stream high quality videos you’re unlikely to fall foul of their fair usage policy.

How long does a TalkTalk contract last?

TalkTalk home broadband packages that use traditional phone lines to carry data are offered on 12 month contracts. TalkTalk fibre optic broadband packages are offered on 18 month contracts.

Information for new customers

Is TalkTalk any good?

Like most providers, TalkTalk has its good points and its bad points. TalkTalk packages are fast, competitively priced, and they give users high monthly download allowances.

The inclusive calls that come bundled are also a boon, as is the convenience of being able to switch line rental to TalkTalk and keep your exiting phone number when doing so.

However, TalkTalk has received some bad press for billing errors which resulted in customers being overcharged, and for the high level of customer complaints it receives.

What is included when I sign up?

When you sign up you’ll get some other extras thrown in. First off you’ll get a free wireless router. This device plugs into your line so you can get online either with a wired connection or wirelessly on any Wi-Fi devices you may own.

With your router you’ll get a disc with all of the software you need to get your connection up and running, plus TalkTalk HomeSafe security software. HomeSafe is designed to protect your family and your computer from any online dangers in three ways:

Kid Safe acts as a family filter to make sure that young web users are shielded from inappropriate content.

Homework Time lets you limit or bar access to sites such as Facebook during specific times that you want to ensure your kids aren’t being distracted online.

HomeSafe Virus Alerts work to protect your computer from malicious programmes and to warn you before you visit any sites that may contain viruses. You’ll also get free technical support 7 days a week if you call using your TalkTalk phone line.

How is TalkTalk broadband installed?

Once your order is placed, TalkTalk will normally have you online within 15 days if you’ve opted for a home phone package. You’ll receive instructions with your router and you should be able to set the whole thing up yourself quickly and easily.

If you’ve gone for TalkTalk fibre optic broadband an engineer will visit your home within two weeks to set up everything for you. Engineer visits are only available on weekdays so you may need to arrange to have someone home to get your broadband connection made.

Can I switch from my current broadband provider to TalkTalk?

Yes, you can easily switch to TalkTalk broadband. Once you’ve ordered your TalkTalk package they’ll arrange everything for you.

They’ll give you a start date for your new service and arrange for your old broadband and line rental providers to cancel your accounts and make sure that your broadband services don’t overlap.

Within a few weeks of your TalkTalk broadband going live your previous phone line provider will refund you any outstanding line rental that is owed to you.

How do I order a TalkTalk broadband package?

Start with our TalkTalk postcode checker to make sure that TalkTalk operates in your area, and to see a list of the packages that you have to choose from.

Compare the packages until you find the right one for you and then click “See Deal” on the right hand side of the screen. You’ll then be taken to TalkTalk’s own site where you’ll be able to quickly, easily and securely complete your sign up.