Gabriel Vanca | September 14th, 2023

TalkTalk Fibre 35 broadband

TalkTalk Fibre 35 is TalkTalk's most affordable broadband package, offering entry-tier speeds that will suffice for most online tasks, as well as a cost-effective wireless router and good customer service.

Key features

Here's a brief overview of TalkTalk Fibre 35:

Price	£28 per month
Download speed	38Mbps
Upload speed	9Mbps
Broadband	Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC)
Home Phone	Line rental included
Parental controls	TalkTalk HomeSafe
Router	TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black
Packages available	Broadband & phone
Contract length	18 months

Who is TalkTalk Fibre 35 for?

Fibre 35 is TalkTalk's cheapest fibre package, delivering a cost-effective broadband service with an average download speed of 38Mbps and an average upload speed of 9Mbps. As this is an FTTC broadband service (which means that it relies on a street cabinet and a copper connection from it to your property), the actual speed will depend on the distance between the cabinet and your home. The '35' in the package's name indicates that TalkTalk guarantees a minimum of 35Mbps no matter how far you are from the cabinet.

This is a highly affordable package from a price-conscious provider that, even so, offers enough speed for most online activities in a small household.

Here's a quick rundown of who TalkTalk Fibre 35 is for:

• Households with up to three occupants – TalkTalk recommends this package for families with one to five internet-connected devices. Small households, basically
• Parents who want an easy way to secure their children's communications – TalkTalk provides a set of parental control features (HomeSafe) and anti-virus software (SuperSafe) that will keep the kids safe online. If you get TalkTalk's phone package as well, CallSafe will protect you from scammers and unwanted salesmen
• Entertainment – Enable your kids to play all the latest multi-player online games with their friends while you stream your favourite Netflix shows in ultra-HD (4K) directly on your TV or through your TalkTalk TV Box (more about that later)

How does TalkTalk Fibre 35 compare?

Fibre 35 is an FTTC service, which means that it is one of the slower, but cheaper and most widely available broadband services. The newer and faster FTTP (TalkTalk calls it Future Fibre) is available only to a fraction of the population. Other than speed, cost and availability, the services differ in terms of the included wifi router and available TV Box.

FTTC customers, such as the ones choosing Fibre 35, will get TalkTalk's budget Huawei wifi router (the TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black), while FTTP clients get TalkTalk's award-winning Sagemcom router (the TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub). This might not seem like a big deal considering that both routers have the same ports and almost identical specifications, look the same and have virtually the same name. The difference is in the strength of the wireless signal and the wifi performance, which is significantly better with the more premium router option.

FTTC subscribers are also eligible to get, for a small monthly fee, TalkTalk's TV Box, while the 4K TV Box is only available to customers on its Future Fibre (FTTP) packages.

This tiered differentiation is lacking with TalkTalk's Openreach competitors, such as Sky and Vodafone, which provide their premium wireless routers (as well as any other accessories) to all their fibre customers no matter what speed tier they are in.

Let's take a quick look at how Fibre 35 compares to the other TalkTalk fibre packages:

What is included with TalkTalk Fibre 35?

TalkTalk Fibre 35 is the cheapest and slowest fibre package that TalkTalk is offering, but it is sufficient for a small household. The cost-conscious package comes with a budget wireless router that nonetheless features seven antennae that will provide adequate connectivity in a small property.

Furthermore, the package does not come will any data quotas or restrictions.

Usually, your TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black will arrive by post within a couple of weeks after signing up for a new package, but, if required, an engineer will be dispatched to connect your property after 14 days. TalkTalk will let you know if an engineer visit is required when you sign up.

The HomeSafe content filter is included in the package and it will block access to malicious and/or parentally restricted websites. Like many of its competitors, TalkTalk implements these restrictions at the ISP level rather than at the router level, which means they can be overcome with ease. For better parental control you might want to look into other solutions.

If you pick up a TalkTalk phone plan as well, you will benefit from CallSafe which screens incoming calls to your landline to stop unwanted callers (over-phone sales and scammers) from getting through.

Finally, Fibre 35 plan comes with TalkTalk's 30-day Great Connection Guarantee. This allows you to cancel your contract without penalty in the first 30 days if you're not happy with your broadband service.

TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black Router Specifications

• Current gen WiFi – The TalkTalk's wifi router comes with the ubiquitous WiFi 5 technology, which enables high-speed connection to most laptops and mobile devices released in at least the last six years
• Dual-band – The Hub leverages the 2.4GHz wireless band in order to improve range and stability and the 5GHz band to provide increased bandwidth throughput
• Seven antennae – With no fewer than seven antennae, the router will provide a decent wifi range through a flat or small house
• Reduced latency when Gaming – The hub leverages MIMo technology which enables it to send simultaneous data streams to multiple devices, therefore significantly improving latency
• Basic security – The router comes with a basic internal firewall and WPA2 encryption, which will ensure you are not an easy target for malicious actors
• Gigabit Ethernet ports – You can directly connect four devices via Ethernet for the best speed, lowest latency and increased reliability

Extras

For a small monthly fee, you can get TalkTalk's SuperSafe boost which comprises anti-malware protection software for up to ten Windows/macOS/iOS/Android devices and a password manager to store all your passwords securely.

Also for a monthly charge, you can get TalkTalk TV which enables you to watch live TV and also comes with the TalkTalk TV Box. The TV Box provides access to on-demand content from a vast variety of streaming services (Netflix, Now, ITV Hub, YouTube). And if you're watching live, the TV Box' features include pause and rewind for up to 30 minutes.

The minimum speed required for TalkTalk TV is 7Mb/s. Furthermore, as TalkTalk TV is sold as an option rather than a package, you can give up on it whenever you want with just 48 hours notice.

What we think

While TalkTalk isn't known for premium routers or top-grade customer service, it does provide affordable broadband packages. The entry-tier TalkTalk Fibre 35 is an excellent option for those small households who seek a cost-effective, reliable broadband service without all the extra options that other providers bundle into their packages.