BT Broadband Review

BT broadband review

The good:	The bad:
Wide range of speeds on offer	More expensive than many rival providers
Gigabit speeds available	Pricey ADSL packages
Widely available across the UK	Mixed customer reviews
Good selection of TV bundles	Expensive out-of-contract price hikes
Exclusive offers on BT Sport	All contract last for 24 months
High-quality router
Five million WiFi hotspots across the country
Free cloud storage and online security
Truly unlimited broadband

BT is Britain’s biggest broadband provider and a major household name. It boasts the fastest Openreach speeds and comes with a range of benefits at home and out and about.

With standard ADSL and fibre broadband connections, BT is available pretty much anywhere. Plus, BT TV and broadband bundles are reasonably priced compared to the competition. But outside of bundles, BT is also one of the most expensive broadband providers available.

Does BT live up to its name?

Speed: how fast is BT broadband?

BT offers a range of broadband speeds:

Broadband type	Average download speeds	Average upload speed	Ideal for
BT Fibre Essential	36Mbps	9Mbps	Small households with light internet usage
BT Fibre 1	50Mbps	9Mbps	Browsing and streaming on a few devices at once
BT Fibre 2	67Mbps	18Mbps	Families or homes streaming and browsing on multiple devices
BT Full Fibre 100	150Mbps	30Mbps	Gamers, large families or shared houses with heavy internet use and multiple devices
BT Full Fibre 300	300Mbps	49Mbps	Gamers, large families or shared houses with heavy internet use and multiple devices
BT Full Fibre 900	910Mbps	110Mbps	Gamers, large families or shared houses with heavy internet use and multiple devices

Price: how much does BT broadband cost?

BT Broadband is quite competitively priced, check out the table below for a breakdown. 

Exit fees are charged for each month remaining on your contract if you terminate early.

If you need a new phone line installed for your broadband, this can cost up to £140. If you already have a phone line then you may not have to pay for connection charges.

Check the contract length before signing up, currently BT is offering most of its offers as 24-month contracts.

Deal	Monthly Cost without landline	Monthly cost with landline	Setup costs
Fibre Essential (36Mbps)	£27.99	£32.99	£19.99
Fibre 1 (50Mbps)	£28.99	£33.99	£19.99
Fibre 2 (67Mbps)	£32.99	£37.99	£19.99
Full Fibre 100 (150Mbps)	£39.99	£44.99	£9.99
Full Fibre 300 (300Mbps)	£49.99	£54.99	£9.99
Full Fibre 900 (910Mbps)	£59.99	£64.99	£9.99

*Prices correct as of 02/08/2021.

For more information on BT's broadband packages, head over to our page on BT fibre deals explained & compared.

What makes BT Broadband stand out?

BT broadband comes with a range of benefits:

Good value TV bundles

• Free access to BT Sport 1 is included in every BT Broadband deal
• Full BT Sport is available with TV bundles
• 80+ Freeview channels as minimum

BT Cloud storage

• Up to 50GB BT Cloud storage for only £3 a month
• Up to 500GB BT Cloud storage for £9 a month

Smart Hub router with Superfast Fibre

• Sends Wi-Fi to the most remote rooms in your house
• Filters block your neighbours’ signals and improve your Wi-Fi connection

Truly unlimited broadband connection

• No cap on any download or upload limits mean you can browse, stream, and game to your heart's content.
• No fair usage policies or traffic management

Free access to thousands of BT Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK

• Over 5 million WiFi hotspots across the country
• Save on mobile data whilst on the move

Home phone

• Free calls to UK landlines
• BT call protect helps stop nuisance calls
• International Freedom package means free calls to 36 countries

Tech: installation and equipment

Installing BT Broadband or BT Superfast Fibre takes around two weeks on average.

BT Superfast Fibre comes with the Smart Hub. Its Wi-Fi technology means multiple devices can connect and get the same fast connection. It is easy to set up yourself at home and you won’t usually need an engineer to visit.

If you are switching from a cable service like Virgin Media, or you do not have an active phone line, you will need an engineer to visit your address. You may be charged an installation fee.

Installation means setting up your new router. You will need to pay a set-up fee and delivery charge of £9.99 - £19.99.

Customer experience: How is BT rated by customers?

Generally, customers seem to be satisfied with their speeds. Although BT has connectivity issues and many customers complain of being disconnected, according to Ofcom, BT’s overall satisfaction rating is average.

Customer service seems to be BT’s biggest downfall. BT customer service ratings are generally quite poor. BT customers tend to report only minor issues with their broadband service, but major problems when trying to get those issues resolved.  

If you're a BT customer but unhappy with your service, see if you're free to switch providers with our page on how to cancel BT broadband.