When your broadband is too slow, or your package perks feel outdated, it's time to seek an upgrade. Here are your broadband upgrade options, and the benefits you gain along the way.
Why should I upgrade my broadband?
Is your internet getting you down with its slow speeds? Do you want to sign up to sport or movie channels? It's time to consider a broadband upgrade.
There are plenty of good reasons why you should upgrade your broadband plan, including performance, price, or convenience. When deciding whether it's time to upgrade, ask yourself what you hope to gain by making the change. Most broadband customers looking for an upgrade can be grouped into three main categories:
- You want faster broadband. You're on an old standard broadband package and want to upgrade to fibre. Or maybe you're already on fibre and want something even faster.
- You want to add TV, phone or mobile services to your deal. Either you're adding whole new features to your plan, or you've got services from a host of different providers that you're looking to bring under one roof.
- You want to switch providers. When your existing contract ends, it's the perfect time to shop around for something new. This opens you up to getting a faster plan, or perhaps just a more reliable service. It's also the best way to beat annual price rises that are applied to most broadband packages.
I want to upgrade to faster broadband. What are my options?
Since you signed your last broadband contract, you may now have access to faster broadband speeds. This might mean a move from standard broadband to fibre, or even an ultrafast, full fibre deal.
If you're still stuck on one of the old standard broadband packages, you might find it starting to struggle to keep up with your needs. An upgrade may be well overdue. You'll notice a night and day difference between standard broadband and fibre broadband. Downloads will be faster, browsing will be smoother, and you won't get any buffering when you're streaming TV and movies. You'll find your whole family will be more able to go online at the same time without it causing any slowdown.
Superfast fibre broadband services are split into several groups:
First, there's the basic deals with average speeds of around 36Mb, and faster plans of around 60Mb or so.
A broadband package with average download speeds of 36Mb is a good starting point. These packages can comfortably handle two or three people being on Netflix or YouTube (at HD resolution) at the same time, with others online, too.
The faster plan is better for larger or more demanding households, or if you want to watch Netflix in 4K. It also gives you a little bit of extra legroom, since our bandwidth requirements are only going to continue to rise.
Upgrade to ultrafast broadband
If you're really thirsting for speed, you have a growing number of options for a much faster package. In October 2024, 85% of UK homes can now get broadband of at least 100Mb. Upload speeds are also faster, which may help if you work from home.
Virgin Media's cable broadband is one of the most widely available services, offering ultrafast broadband at competitive prices.
Should you not wish to switch to Virgin, or you don't have access to its packages where you live, similarly fast speeds are becoming much more widespread from providers that run on the Openreach network. Alternatively, many more smaller, independent networks ('altnets') are popping up around the UK.
71% of UK homes can now get full-fibre (also known as fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), or fibre-to-the-home (FTTH)) broadband. These have speeds pushing up towards 1Gb and give you almost instantaneous downloads and uploads.
Use our postcode checker to see what ultrafast broadband deals are available where you live.
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What is Openreach?
Openreach is the company that maintains the former British Telecom Network used for the majority of broadband and phone services. If a repair or installation is required, it’s Openreach who will send an engineer, not your provider.
More than 650 service providers using the Openreach network. That’s the majority of the UK’s broadband providers. This includes Sky, TalkTalk and BT. The exception to this is Virgin Media - it uses its own, separate cable network.
What are the other benefits of upgrading a broadband package?
Speed doesn't have to be your only priority. The other benefits to upgrading your broadband are largely dependent on the reasons you're choosing to upgrade in the first place.
Although upgrading to a faster broadband service is a no-brainer for most people, it isn't the only good reason to do it. There are other benefits to be had, including saving money and switching to a more reliable service. Here are some of the best reasons to upgrade:
You can save money when you upgrade your broadband
Upgrading your broadband is a good way to save money. Oddly enough, you might even find that taking a faster broadband package works out cheaper than what you've already got.
The reason is simple: if you haven't upgraded in a very long time, you'll notice that the price creeps up every year. Without taking any action, you will likely end up paying much more than a new customer signing up to that service.
The good news is that you've now got the upper hand when you contact your broadband provider to negotiate a new deal. What you need to do first is to find out what their introductory rate is for new customers, then compare broadband prices to see exactly what you can get elsewhere, and how much it'll cost you.
Armed with this information, give your provider a call or contact them on Live Chat, and see what they can offer you in response. Feel free to mention what a loyal customer you are, if that helps ease things along, and you can also ask to be put through to the 'Retentions' team. Their job is to prevent customers from leaving, and they'll often have access to even better deals.
Any time you're willing to sign a new contract with your current provider, you're in a position to negotiate a cheaper deal, even when you aren't out of contract. This is also true if you're looking to add more services to your package, like pay TV or a mobile plan, you can normally save even more on the bundle compared to buying each item separately from different companies.
Making the most of introductory broadband offers
If you do decide to switch when you upgrade, all those sweet introductory offers for new customers become available to you. These include heavily discounted broadband, high street gift cards, tech products or cashback. Companies want your business, and will do whatever they need to lure you in.
Get better terms on your deal when you upgrade your broadband
Whether you switch or stay with your current provider, upgrading will often also get you better terms on your deal. You might get a new router which is faster and gives you better Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home, for example. You might also get better terms on your deal, with minimum speed guarantees or compensation for network downtime.
Enjoy convenience when you upgrade to a broadband bundle
Choosing to upgrade your broadband plan by adding TV or mobile brings another big benefit - it's a lot more convenient. Instead of juggling several bills from different companies, you can get one bill, one payment date, one renewal date, and one tech support team. There are a few providers that offer broadband and mobile bundles, along with some that can offer you pay TV, too.
Compare Broadband and TV Deals
Is it difficult to upgrade my broadband package?
The ease with which you can upgrade depends on whether you're planning to stay with the same provider, or if you want to switch.
Upgrading your broadband deal while staying with the same provider is easy. Most will be only too happy to allow you to sign a new contract with them, even when there's time left on your existing deal. So long as they offer the services you want, and that they're available in your area, you will be able to upgrade to a fibre broadband deal, or add things like pay TV, without any problem.
But what If you want to upgrade by moving to a new provider? If you're out of contract, or coming to the end of your contract, then you're free to move on as you please. It's easy to switch, too, as your new provider will take care of most of the process for you. See our guide on how to switch broadband suppliers for more.
The problem comes when you're still in contract. Although you can leave your deal at any time you'll have to pay exit fees to do so, which is likely to be the full price of all your remaining months. By and large, it's worth waiting in these circumstances. The exception is if you're getting performance levels way below what you would regard as acceptable. In this case, you may be able to leave without penalty, or at least get a refund. Our consumer rights guide has more on this.
It's also worth exploring providers who offer to pay off a proportion of your early termination fees with a switching credit.
How do I upgrade my broadband?
The first steps to upgrading your broadband are to decide why you want to do it, and whether you're happy with your current supplier.
When you're sticking with the same company, it's simple. Just take a look at our provider pages to see what they've got to offer in terms of speed upgrades or extra services like phone, TV or mobile. To help you compare upgrades, use our Speed Test tool to find out exactly what speed internet you're getting right now. You can then see how much faster your broadband could be in future.
If you're up for switching providers then check when your contract expires first. Assuming it has ended, or is ending within the next month, you've got a near endless number of options to choose from. Use our postcode checker to see what's available in your area, and start shopping.
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