TalkTalk Review

Should you sign up for TalkTalk broadband?

Since it entered the broadband market in 2006, TalkTalk has developed a reputation for being a cheap alternative to other more established options competitors such as BT or Sky Broadband. Here, we will review TalkTalk’s broadband options and see if this is deserved, and whether it is good value for money, so that you can decide whether choosing them is best for you.

The good:	The bad:
Good value broadband deals	Customer service has a bad reputation
Range of broadband speeds	Basic TV bundle is little more than Freeview
Flexible TV add-ons	Contracts last a minimum of 18 months
Minimal installation costs	Few rewards and incentives
No mid-contract price hikes	No free Wi-Fi hotspots
Decent router with fibre packages
Cancel for free within 30 days

Speed: how fast is TalkTalk Broadband?

TalkTalk offer four categories of deal, broken down by speed:

Fast Broadband

This is the most basic package that TalkTalk offer, with average download speeds of 11Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. If your use of the internet tends to be pretty light, such as living in a one or two person household, this will be able to handle most of your tasks (streaming, browsing, music etc).

 

Fibre 35

Using fibre-optic cables to deliver you broadband, this offers considerably faster internet connection, with average download speeds of 38Mbps and upload speed of 9Mbps. This is great for families who will have multiple devices connected to the internet at any time.

 

Fibre 65

This comes with 67Mbps average download speeds and upload speeds of 18Mbps. It comes with the new, award-winning Wi-Fi Hub, and is great for large households who all use the internet for streaming at the same time.

 

Faster 150 Fibre

Four times faster than regular fibre broadband, with average download speeds of 145Mbps and upload speeds of 25Mbps. It also comes with the new, award-winning Wi-Fi Hub. Great for heavy users of the internet, who require reliable and fast speeds for things such as gaming and streaming.

Price: how much does TalkTalk cost?

TalkTalk are known for being one of the cheaper broadband providers, and their prices are at the more competitive end of the market. Particularly with the fibre-optic packages, they compare very well with their competitors, with BT’s similar 67 Mbps deal coming in at £32 a month, with a contract of 18 months. Let's take a look at how TalkTalk's prices compare to other providers:

Deal	TalkTalk price	BT equivalent package price	Sky equivalent package price	Virgin Media equivalent package price	Plusnet equivalent package price
Fast Broadband (11Mbps)	£24.95	£30.99	£30	N/A	£18.99
Fibre 35 (38Mbps)	£22	£27.99	N/A	N/A	£22.99
Fibre 65 (67Mbps)	£25	£31.99	£40	£28	£25.99
Faster 150 Fibre (145Mbps)	£29.95	£37.99	£35	£33	N/A

*Prices correct as of 13/08/2021.

On top of this, none of TalkTalk’s packages come with a setup cost. They also guarantee that they will not raise the cost of your contract during its term, something that most competitors do not offer, so if you want to be sure how much you will be paying, then you should definitely consider switching to TalkTalk.

TalkTalk do offer 12 and 24 month contracts on top of the 18 month contracts, although these are a fair bit more expensive, so it is worth bearing in mind the commitment that you are signing on for.

What makes TalkTalk stand out?

Apart from their low prices and no price rises guarantee, the options that TalkTalk offer allows you to customize your package to your needs.

On top of the basic broadband deals, you can add television channels and UK/international landline phone calls onto your package so that you can have all of your entertainment needs in one place.

All of TalkTalk’s broadband packages also include completely unlimited downloads, meaning no hidden fair usage policy, so that you can use the internet stress-free without having to worry about potentially going over any download limits.

If you are on either the Superfast Fibre Broadband or the Fibre 150 Broadband packages, you will receive the Wi-Fi Hub. It uses beamforming technology to deliver faster internet and wider coverage across your home. TalkTalk claim that it can handle up to 50 devices, meaning excellent performance for all of your devices.

If you are on the Fast or Faster Fibre broadband packages, you can pay just £30 to upgrade to the Wi-Fi Hub, compared to £120 if you are not a TalkTalk customer.

Tech: Installation and Equipment

If you have a BT Openreach phone socket in your home, then setting up TalkTalk is a breeze. All you have to do is place your order online or on the phone, and TalkTalk will send you a router in the post, and you will be given an activation date when you go live. Just plug in on the day and enjoy! The whole process should take just a couple of weeks.

If you don’t TalkTalk will send an engineer to your home to set one up, at no extra cost.

If you are on the Fast Broadband or Fast Fibre Broadband deals, you will receive the Super Router as standard. This is a pretty basic router that will perform just fine for smaller households, which don’t have too many devices connected to the WiFi at any one time.

As mentioned before, the powerful WiFi hub comes for free with the Faster Fibre Broadband or Faster 150 packages, or you can upgrade for £30 if you are on a cheaper deal.

Customer Experience: How is TalkTalk Rated by Customers?

TalkTalk’s service has received mixed reviews by customers, receiving an average 3 star rating on Trustpilot. Customer service is something that has been complained about, with many talking of long wait times.

However, they have been improving this part of their service, with average wait times now just 0.47 minutes to talk to an advisor, which is an industry-best.

There are still complaints however, so it is worth bearing in mind that although the prices are lower than most, you may encounter some difficulties if you have any issues with your connection.