FTTP ISP package provider question

I have moved to a new house and OpenReach has installed FTTP Ultrafast Full Fibre. No doubt this is a dream for many people - but I just need basic broadband speeds and inclusive anytime calls - such as NowTV's Fab Fibre 36Mbps @ £22.95 per month. Unfortunately the NowTV deal is only available on FTTC I think?

BT say they can do Fibre Essential 36Mbps @ £24.99 + PAYG calls and they want another £15 per month for anytime calls.

Any idea where I can get a basic 36Mbps service including line rental and anytime calls on FTTP without paying the extra charges like BT?

Edited by deleted (Mon 12-Apr-21 21:38:04)

In reply to a post by gocat2005:

BT say they can do Fibre Essential 36Mbps @ £24.99 + PAYG calls and they want another £15 per month for anytime calls.

Any idea where I can get a basic 36Mbps service including line rental and anytime calls on FTTP without paying the extra charges like BT?

I believe that BT Fibre Essential is the cheapest available Openreach-based FTTP. BT only provide it on FTTP when there is no copper line. Cashback card offers are frequently available, so do try to get one of those. There will be a 24-month contract with in-contract price rises.

Don't buy the Anytime calls package. If you need to make lots of phonecalls there are cheaper ways to do it, and if you don't make many calls, use a PAYG indirect access provider like 18185.co.uk. Or just get a mobile phone with unlimited calls and wifi calling.

If you use a voice "landline" a lot, the best solution is using a separate VOIP provider. There are much better deals available, you can switch broadband providers easily, you don't have to use the ISP-supplied router, and you can keep your phone number for life - even if you move to a different part of the country (or a different country entirely).

Alternative FTTP ISPs:

Sky FTTP (80/20) is £28 per month plus £20 setup. Until recently it was £27, and I've seen it reduced to £25 during special offer periods.

Aquiss 40/2 is £30 per month (40/10 is £32 per month), but there is a £25 per month discount applied for the first three months. This works out as £23.75 per month over the first year, but then jumps up to £30. You get static IP, but no voice service.

Talktalk Future Fibre 150/30 (again no voice) is £32 per month plus £5 setup. But we're now well above your basic service with BT.

In a few selected cities, Vodafone is offering Openreach-based FTTP ("Superfast 100"). It's unlikely that they'll serve you, but you can try them. Their website is down at the time I write this. (EDIT: it's working now. Superfast 100 is £26 per month. It also offers me Superfast 1/2 at £22 per month, but it's unclear if that would be delivered as FTTP or FTTC. It also says you have to phone in to place an order)

To get the best price from BT, you have to try lots of different links. Here are a few you should try. Again, don't forget to check which ones include a cashback card when working out the total cost.
https://www.bt.com/broadband/deals
https://www.bt.com/campaign/full-fibre
https://www.bt.com/campaign/full-fibre-240
https://www.bt.com/broadband/bristol
https://www.bt.com/products/affiliate-packages-broad...

Edited by candlerb (Tue 13-Apr-21 11:24:54)

Hi Candlerb
Many thanks for your very comprehensive advice. I will look into everything you suggest before I sign up and I will post back what happens.
Thanks again
goCat

Looking at the usual suspects as far as VoIP is concerned, I think your unlimited calling needs would be far better served with a mobile provider. Sky for example will do unlimited calls for £6/month which I don't think any SIP provider can get close to.

I thought I'd seen an inclusive VOIP call package for about £7 per month, but I can't find it now, and Sipgate is £10 per month. Maybe that's just where the market has moved.

I agree mobile is the better value for voice. I have a Lebara SIM, it gives unlimited calls and texts and 3GB data for £5/month when you click through the link at MSE (it's 2GB data without the click-through)

In the early days setting up and messing about with Asterisk here around 2012-ish, I had several bluetooth dongles plugged into the box hosting Asterisk/FPBX. As long as the box was in bluetooth range of our phones, the system would auto-connect and form outbound channels from Asterisk, depending on the extension and destination. Thus leveraging our inclusive call minutes. It worked, but was a tad clunky, and updates would break things.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

I thought I'd seen an inclusive VOIP call package for about £7 per month, but I can't find it now, and Sipgate is £10 per month. Maybe that's just where the market has moved.

You may be thinking of the Zen Digital Voice offering - £7/month with 1000 minutes to UK landlines & mobiles.

Many thanks for the mobile minutes suggestions. Just for info - I do have a Virgin Mobile SIM Only deal £6 per month Unlimited Mins and Texts and 8GB data with monthly rollover of unused data

I just personally prefer a "landline" - no reception issues, drop outs etc - for longer calls hence my desire for inclusive "Anytime" calls with the FTTP deal like I had with NowTVs Fab Fibre FTTC

In reply to a post by gocat2005:

I just personally prefer a "landline" - no reception issues, drop outs etc - for longer calls hence my desire for inclusive "Anytime" calls with the FTTP deal like I had with NowTVs Fab Fibre FTTC

Understood. Have you an estimate how many hours you spend making outbound calls per month? Paying 1.18p per minute (sipgate) or 2p per minute (18185.co.uk) might still be cheaper overall than a flat rate package. However if you spend a lot of time calling mobiles from your landline, at 10p per minute it will soon add up.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In a few selected cities, Vodafone is offering Openreach-based FTTP ("Superfast 100"). It's unlikely that they'll serve you, but you can try them. Their website is down at the time I write this. (EDIT: it's working now. Superfast 100 is £26 per month. It also offers me Superfast 1/2 at £22 per month, but it's unclear if that would be delivered as FTTP or FTTC. It also says you have to phone in to place an order)

Just a warning about this: don't use the Vodafone availability checker if you have an aversion to junk mail.

I used it yesterday morning, and this morning I received a letter through the post, addressed to "The Occupier", pushing their Superfast 100 FTTP service.

I suppose you have to admire their efficiency, but I didn't give them permission to add me to a mailing list. They'd probably argue it's not "personal" information, since I'm not named on the letter.