Full Fibre vs Part-Fibre: What's the Difference?
Full fibre (FTTP — Fibre to the Premises) runs a fibre optic cable directly to your home. It delivers faster, more consistent speeds — typically 100Mbps to 1Gbps — and is less affected by distance from the exchange or network congestion. Part-fibre (FTTC — Fibre to the Cabinet) uses fibre to the street cabinet then copper wire to your home, limiting typical speeds to 35–70Mbps. Full fibre is now available to around 70% of UK premises and should be your default choice when available.
What Speed Do You Actually Need?
- Single person, light use: 50–100Mbps is more than sufficient
- Couple, streaming + working from home: 100–300Mbps
- Family, multiple 4K streams + gaming: 300–500Mbps
- Power users, large file transfers: 500Mbps–1Gbps
Best Budget Deals (Under £25/month)
Sky Broadband Superfast frequently runs at £22–£24/month for 61Mbps (FTTC) for new customers. NOW Broadband (Sky's budget brand) offers similar pricing with no long-term contract — ideal if you want flexibility. Virgin Media M100 at around £24/month delivers 100Mbps via cable, available to about 50% of UK homes.
Best Full Fibre Deals (£25–£40/month)
BT Full Fibre 150 is often available for around £29.99/month for new customers and includes BT's reliable network and good customer service. Hyperoptic offers gigabit broadband for around £35/month in cities where available — significantly underpriced compared to BT's equivalent. Community Fibre in London offers competitive full-fibre pricing from around £22/month.
Tips for Getting the Best Deal
Always use a comparison site (Uswitch, MoneySuperMarket, or broadbandchoices.co.uk) rather than going directly to a provider — new customer deals are almost always better than renewal offers. If you're near the end of your contract, contact your current provider to negotiate before switching — they often match competitor prices to retain you. Cashback offers via TopCashback or Quidco can add £50–£100 on top of advertised deals.