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Cable broadband (also known as fibre-to-the-home) is the fastest widely available broadband service in the UK. It’s true that you can do a lot more with fibre broadband, but how do you pick the right package? Our cable comparison page makes it easy, as we list all the cable broadband packages and providers in order of price, starting with the cheapest.
Before purchasing a broadband deal, make sure you check the detail. Price should be your first concern, so look at the monthly fee, as well as any installation fees. Download and upload speed should be another concern.
Faster may be better, but it’s not always cheaper. Contract length (located under the monthly cost) lets you know how long you’ll be tied in before you’re able to cancel without paying a significant termination fee.
Cable broadband is much faster than the slower, copper-cabled standard broadband. It can make downloads and uploads faster, and generally improves your online experience.
From music streaming to film and videogame downloads, everything is faster with cable broadband. For large families, or for those who just love to stay online, cable broadband can make a huge difference, especially with the higher speeds, which can now reach up to 1130Mbps. If you’re unsure what speed you need for your favourite streaming services, have a look at our broadband speeds required for streaming services guide.
Social media users who regularly upload photographs and videos online will be able to do everything faster with cable broadband. Most standard broadband packages have an optimum upload speed of 1Mbps. The top average cable upload speed of 50.6Mbps (according to the latest Ofcom data
If you working from home, you might have experienced a frozen colleague or two on Zoom calls. Sending and receiving large files becomes more difficult with slower speeds, so cable broadband will improve your efficiency. For more tips on working from home and ways to improve your home office, have a look at our working from home guide.
Pros
Cons
An excess of choice can be both a good and bad thing, and with cable broadband, there’s a lot to choose from. To help whittle down the options, here are three suggestions.
Limited broadband deals are now happily a thing of the past, with the overwhelming majority of cable packages now offering unlimited usage. This means no extra fees and no slowdown to worry about at any time of the day.
Download speeds don’t just refer to how quickly you can download data. They also refer to bandwidth – the amount of data you can simultaneously download on your line. Big households will have more internet users. This means that more people will be using the one connection. Even on a 76Mbps package, you may find your broadband performance slowing down during times of peak usage. To avoid this, pick a faster package.
Some cable broadband providers also supply TV and phone services. If you take all these services from the same provider – known as bundling – you can reduce your monthly payments. This can also be a great way to solve all your household’s entertainment needs in one fell swoop. Virgin Media offers broadband, phone, and TV bundles, with download speeds up to 1000Mbps available.
Look for a provider that offers good service during installation and has a good customer service record you can rely on if you have any problems. According to Ofcom
There are a couple of things you’ll need to start enjoying cable broadband. It’s not enough to simply sign up. If you’re wondering why you can’t get online straight away, here are the answers.
Installation won’t be immediate; you’ll generally have to wait up to ten working days, unless you have had a cable connection before. For a new cable broadband connection, an engineer will need to come out to hook your property up to the nearest street cabinet. You’ll have to be present at your property on the day of installation. For more details about specific provider’s broadband installation times, read our guide.
Most cable broadband providers supply a router with their broadband packages. These are usually free and will arrive by post before your installation date, but you may be required to pay postage and packaging fees for it. Often, the router will be packaged in such a way that it can easily fit through your letterbox. This means you don’t have to wait in for it to arrive and may be able to self-install your broadband connection.
Choosing a cable broadband plan is easy once you’ve checked the detail. Simply navigate to the right of the deal and click on the ‘see deal’ button. This will take you to the provider’s website. You can complete the sign-up process here, quickly and easily.
Unless you are switching to or from Virgin Media (or any other provider that runs on its own network rather than Openreach) there is no need to call your existing provider to cancel – your new provider will arrange this. Be certain that you’re not still within contract with your previous provider when you cancel. If this is the case, you may incur significant termination fees.