Openreach community fibre project ISP & package availbility

We are just in the process of setting up an Openreach Community Fibre project to (hopefully!) have FTTP installed - using the Rural Gigabit Voucher scheme - to our quite rural & spread out village, which probably has very little hope of any commercial fibre rollout. People are currently struggling by on 1Mbps DSL and/or 4G routers in attics etc! I will shortly be trying to persuade enough villagers to sign up to try and ensure the installation cost is wholly covered by the vouchers.

For some reason, it really doesn't seem as straightforward trying to compare potential ISPs & packages for FTTP as it does for other broaband technologies. I already know that not everyone is going to want to sign up for a 500Mb or 900Mb connection at £50-60 a month. For the avoidance of doubt, are BT's cheaper/slower fibre packages such as "Fibre Essential" and "Fibre One" also available over Openreach FTTP, or are these plans only available for FTTC? https://www.bt.com/broadband/deals

We're still many months away from having to actually choose things like ISPs - and I'm aware the likes of TalkTalk & Sky are predicted to add Openreach FTTP plans in the near future - but it would be very useful to see a comparison of what is available right now. I've looked at other providers such as Zen and Cerberus, but as far as I can see BT is the cheapest. However, I can't work out if their slower/even cheaper plans are also available over FTTP & the various postcoder checkers are currently no use to us!

Openreach list all the currently available providers here.

On a practical level BT will be the cheapest current provider, price will be the same for the lower speeds whether provided over FTTC or FTTP. Would expect Sky and TalkTalk prices to also be the same as their FTTC prices when they finally launch.

BT Fibre 1 (50/10 / £27.99) and Fibre 2 (80/20 / £31.99) are definitely available as FTTP.

Other popular options include Zen and Aquiss. For more choices see:
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/packages/fttp-broadband
http://openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fttp-providers

I'm not sure about Essentials. The thinkbroadband link above says it is available for FTTP, but for my property, https://www.bt.com/broadband/deals is showing me FTTC speeds for this option. It's only £1 cheaper than Fibre 1 anyway.

If you're only just starting a CFP, by the time you're done almost certainly Sky and Talktalk will be on that list.

Correct, at present BT is the cheapest for Openreach based FTTP. Their Fibre Essential package (40/10 FTTP) is £26.99/m, you might get this cheaper over the phone or if going through a cashback site such as Quido or topcashback. Sky & TalkTalk FTTP packages should be similarly priced once released.

https://postimg.cc/Yjxp9QQ6

Thanks all of you for your prompt & clear replies. This is good news - I thnk I will have more chance of persuading most of the neighbours of the benefits of 50Mb for £27/month (50x quicker than we get here currently on DSL!) than I will with the higher speed plans. Especially when people will be able to ditch line rental in favour of VOIP too. The rural voucher scheme seems to require a minimum 30Mbps connection and at least a doubling of existing available speed. Everyone here would already meet the second requirement (comfortably!) and it appears from the link above that all currently available FTTP ISP plans would also meet the first requirement. Just need Openreach to crack on with the quotation now!

If your FTTP connection has been installed via CFP, you can buy any 'fibre broadband' service from any ISP which provides FTTC (VDSL or GFAST) connections through Openreach. You do not need to go and buy an FTTP specific package.

Just stating this in case it can save some pennies.

In reply to a post by godsell4:

If your FTTP connection has been installed via CFP, you can buy any 'fibre broadband' service from any ISP which provides FTTC (VDSL or GFAST) connections through Openreach. You do not need to go and buy an FTTP specific package.

Just stating this in case it can save some pennies.

He's talking about requirements of the rural voucher scheme.

I think (not sure) anyone applying for the voucher must take an FTTP connection.
FTTC and G.Fast wouldn't qualify as not gigabit capable.

Of course anyone who benefits from having FTTP available via a CFP who haven't applied for a voucher doesn't need to take FTTP.

Having the premises passed might be enough, no idea. I can't find the terms.

Edited by j0hn83 (Mon 29-Jun-20 17:03:42)

In reply to a post by PaulG77:

.... Especially when people will be able to ditch line rental in favour of VOIP too.

Unless I'm very out of date I don't think the cost is much different when using VOIP. Line rental doesn't just disappear.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Line rental doesn't just disappear.

Exactly, the costs are just included in the cost of the service delivered over any of the options:
* Openreach copper for DSL
* Openreach FTTP
* Alt Net FTTP (e.g. Gigaclear)
* Virgin Media DOCSIS over HFC
* Virgin Media DOCSIS over FTTP

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Line rental doesn't just disappear.

Exactly, the costs are just included in the cost of the service delivered over any of the options:
* Openreach copper for DSL
* Openreach FTTP
* Alt Net FTTP (e.g. Gigaclear)
* Virgin Media DOCSIS over HFC
* Virgin Media DOCSIS over FTTP

There is no concept of Line Rental in a Gigaclear service. You just pay for the fibre connection. If you want to make telephone calls via the Gigaclear connection you have to make separate arrangements with a VOIP provider. Gigaclear suggest the use of Vonage who offer a hold your hands type product, priced accordingly.

if you are claiming a rural gigbit voucher you need to order a FTTP service - you cannot use a rural gigabit voucher with either FTTC or GFAST only FTTP and the product you order and it has to be at least double your current speed (fine it you get 2meg more interesting if you already get 60 m/bps)

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

There is no concept of Line Rental in a Gigaclear service. You just pay for the fibre connection. If you want to make telephone calls via the Gigaclear connection you have to make separate arrangements with a VOIP provider. Gigaclear suggest the use of Vonage who offer a hold your hands type product, priced accordingly.

Likewise in all the items I posted. There is no line rental there is just a "connection" charge.

My Virgin Media service does not provide phone services, I pay a charge for the connection, which is delivered over coax on their HFC network in this area. I personally use a service that costs me £1.20 a month to keep my old landline number going on a VoIP ATA, cheaper than many.

In reply to a post by Highland76:

Correct, at present BT is the cheapest for Openreach based FTTP. Their Fibre Essential package (40/10 FTTP) is £26.99/m, you might get this cheaper over the phone or if going through a cashback site such as Quido or topcashback. Sky & TalkTalk FTTP packages should be similarly priced once released.

I've just switched to BT 80/20 at £31.99pm, going via TCB to Broadband Genie for £25 cashback and then on to BT for a £100 reward card (a pre-loaded mastercard from BT) - although there a 5-6 month wait for the cashback, and a month or two for the reward card.

Over a 24 month contract, it's worth £5-odd discount per month.

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

if you are claiming a rural gigbit voucher you need to order a FTTP service - you cannot use a rural gigabit voucher with either FTTC or GFAST only FTTP and the product you order and it has to be at least double your current speed (fine it you get 2meg more interesting if you already get 60 m/bps)

Totally understand this (i.e. that the hardware/technology to qualify for the rural gigabit vouchers needs to be FTTP). What I wasn't sure about was whether the slower packages available from some ISPs were available over FTTC *and* FTTP, or were exclusive to FTTC. It seems from the replies here that, e.g. BT Fibre Essential or Fibre One, would also be available over FTTP. Those speeds would still be eligible for the DCMS vouchers, as the criteria are 1) to double your existing available broadband speed, and 2) to be at least 30Mbps.

Ref. comments on line rental, I currently pay PlusNet separately for both "broadband" (all 2Mbps of it!) and line rental, even though we don't really use our landline for outgoing calls. So if I were paying, say £28 a month for BT Fibre One, and ported my landline number to one of the free VOIP providers like Sipgate, it would still be a decent monthly saving.

The FTTC-level services are available to an ISP offering Openreach FTTP - but they have to be offering FTTP in the first place. BT are the only big consumer name doing it at the moment, with Sky and TalkTalk expected to get involved any day now.

Regarding Plusnet - how are you managing to pay them so much for ADSL and a phone line that £28 would represent a cost saving?

I think you would still have to pay for *both* BT Fibre One *and* Landline Rental even if you have no plans to use the landline and have ported your number to a VOIP provider. I have not seen anywhere state BT allow you to take a data only service from them yet.

Be aware, when you initiate the port of the landline number it may trigger a disconnection and closing of account with your current ISP. There are other threads on this and other forums about that topic.

The £28 Fibre 1 pricing mentioned (offer at present is £26.99/m) is including line rental, or digital voice for FTTP lines.

Whether you use it or not is up to you.

Data only options are not any cheaper on FTTP and at retail level might even be higher as the upsell for voice calls/packages does not exist.

Thanks for putting me right on that, I have been gouged by PlusNet/BT for last couple of years because they can.Will be leaving both at the end of the month.