POP Telecom broadband review 2022

Dan Howdle | May 16th, 2022

Pop Telecom logo

You may not have heard of POP Telecom, but this family-owned business, based in Essex, has been trading for more than 20 years. So how does it fare against its competitors here in 2022?

Well, the company offers a standard ADSL service to its broadband customers, as well as two fibre options. Pretty standard stuff. It says it focuses on providing low-cost, straightforward phone and broadband deals, and that it prides itself on its high levels of customer service. Some of its packages are tailored for particular demographics, and the company also makes much of its rural coverage. But do its claims stack up? We take a look at what POP Telecom really has to offer its broadband and fibre customers.

Broadband speeds

POP Telecom offers standard broadband with an average speed of 11Mbps, and two fibre packages averaging 38Mbps and 67Mbps. According to consumer watchdog Which?, on a standard broadband connection of 10-11Mbps it takes up to 25 seconds to download ten songs, or one minute 40 seconds to download 200 photos. A TV show would take three minutes and 23 seconds, while you could download a film in around seven minutes.

Pop Telecom fibre

With the company’s fibre service, your album of ten songs would take just 11 seconds to download, and the photos 42 seconds. You’ll have your TV show ready to view in one minute and 25 seconds, and your film will take three minutes and three seconds to download.

Although fibre broadband is now widely accessible across the UK, it still isn’t available everywhere, but you can check whether it’s available where you are by using POP Telecom’s postcode checker.

POP Telecom presents some of its services in a rather unusual way. It has a ‘Broadband for over 60s’ package, for example, that’s essentially a standard broadband service with inclusive anytime calls, and ‘Tural broadband’, which is just standard ADSL, albeit marketed in a slightly different way. There’s also ‘Broadband for gamers’ – essentially just fast fibre. You get the picture. They aim to make it easy to identify your needs based on how you plan to use the internet.

Upload speeds

You won’t always be downloading stuff; you’ll almost certainly also be sending emails, posting on social media and sharing photos, and it can be pretty frustrating when this takes an age.

With the provider’s standard ADSL service, you can expect an upload speed of up to 1Mbps; with the fibre services it’s up to 10Mbps and 19Mbps respectively. These are all pretty par for the course when compared with other providers.

Traffic management and unlimited data

POP Telecom says it provides truly unlimited data: it promises never to engage in traffic management (also known as traffic shaping) meaning that you should get more reliable upload and download speeds, in theory.

Choose a speed that you need

As always, it’s worth cautioning that you may not receive the speeds you expect. To discover what your actual speeds will be, you’ll need to check speeds for your area. Speeds are usually lower at peak times: evenings and to a lesser extent the weekend. And, of course, whether or not you can actually get fibre depends on the local infrastructure.

For the average household with, say, a couple of people working online at the same time, a standard broadband package should be plenty. If, though, there are two or more people in the house trying to download movies or games at the same time, you may find that your broadband struggles to cope, and you’ll really appreciate the extra capacity that a fibre optic service brings. Our guide to broadband speed can help you make a decision if you’re still not sure.

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Router and installation

There is an additional £9.99 charge for router delivery which is added to your first bill. Plus, if you need a new line installed you will be charged extra. Time between purchase and final installation is roughly around two weeks.

Customers wishing to include a calls package with their broadband can choose to pay for extra for inclusive Anytime calls, or bolt on an International Calls package if they wish.

Router

When you sign up with the company, you’ll be sent the TP Link VR400 regardless of which broadband package you choose. This dual-band router can support speeds up to 100Mbps and has four ethernet ports and three antennae to provide a good wifi signal, though you may need to boost the signal if your home is particularly large. The router should arrive on the same day that your broadband is activated, and you’ll pay a tenner for delivery.

Reliability

POP Telecom is too small a company to feature in Ofcom’s regular reports on service quality but, like most broadband providers, it uses the Openreach network. Openreach has the biggest fixed line and broadband network in the UK, with the ability to reach 95% of the UK population. They currently have 4.6 stars on Trustpilot from over 3,000 reviews.

Customer service

POP Telecom’s customer service and technical support staff are based in the UK. The department is open for phone calls on 0343 538 6611 from 9am to 6pm daily. You can also use the Live Chat service or send a message via Facebook or Twitter to get in touch.

Again, the company’s comparatively small size means it doesn’t feature in Ofcom’s customer service report. However, a quick look at online reviews will show that a couple of specific complaints regularly crop up.

Some customers claim in the past that they have been hit with extra charges every month for services such as ‘line assurance’ and ‘router assurance’ that they say they never signed up for. Some customers have also been charged an extra tenner a month for paying with a debit card.

Conclusion

Pop Telecom’s prices aren’t particularly low, and the services it offers are fairly basic. Its specific packages for rural areas, gamers, students, landlords and the over-60s are unusual, but as soon as you realise they are just its other broadband offerings under different labels the uniqueness immediately disappears. It is also clear that the company’s level of customer satisfaction is lower than average.

It’s also worth noting that POP Telecom has in the past been in trouble with Companies House for failing to file its accounts on time. This issue was rectified; however, our advice is to be wary as this tends to be a sign that things are rocky, or consider a different provider.

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