What can I expect?

I'm currently on the TalkTalk 150 subscription that ends in a few weeks and get around 100mbps download speeds.

We have fibre to the end of the drive then just the original copper under the drive to the house.

So my question is, can I expect to get the reported speeds that other ISP report when I enter my postcode on their websites?

Virgin report that I can get 500mbps for the same price as my existing contract.

Virgin use a different technology so they can deliver.

It sounds like for your current service you may be on Gfast? If that is the case then fewer suppliers are selling that now. If Openreach FTTP is still not available then you may find it more difficult to find a supplier that will deliver your current speeds (and if it is Gfast then changing supplier to another Gfast supplier is not going to suddenly give you more than the 100Mbps you currently get).

Yes i probably am on Gfast. So if i sign up to someone like Virgin or BeFibre then I can expect better than 100mbps as they state?

If you sign up to networks that use their own infrastructure then you won't be limited by the Gfast limitations. This depends on what is available to you in your area as there are lots of different networks these days.

Both Virgin and Befibre run their own networks and as they are fibre (or possibly coax for virgin but guessing fibre if they only arrived fairly recently) then the connection speed would be what you sign up to. That doesn't mean there may not be times where it runs slower due to congestion in the network as these are contended services and not guaranteed - but for the vast majority of the time you will get the speeds you pay for.

Gfast and FTTC are different in that the technology is impacted by distance from the nearest node and why you only see 100Mb on a "up to 150Mbps" package.

In reply to a post by mikwillo1878:

Yes i probably am on Gfast. So if i sign up to someone like Virgin or BeFibre then I can expect better than 100mbps as they state?

What does it say here?
https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/...

Virgin was rolled out in the area/street last year and according to their website they're saying 2000mbps is available for my postcode but I'd be happy with 500mbps.

For my UPRN 100010684344 it says VDSL Range A and B is available.

It also says FTTP On Demand is available but I'm not sure what that means as at the bottom of the page it says FTTP isn't available.

That's their fibre network then, if you sign up to 500Mbps you will get that as long as the service isn't faulty - there's no distance from the cabinet element to the speeds.

UPRN 100010684344 on Exchange SKELMERSDALE is served by Cabinet 50 - no Gfast? Are you sure u on Gfast?



VDSL Range A (Clean) 80 62.1 20 19 55 Unavailable Available
VDSL Range B (Impacted) 80 60 20 17.7 50.8 Unavailable Available
G.fast Range A (Clean) -- -- -- -- -- Unavailable --
G.fast Range B (Impacted) -- -- -- -- -- Unavailable --

In reply to a post by mikwillo1878:

For my UPRN 100010684344 it says VDSL Range A and B is available.

It also says FTTP On Demand is available but I'm not sure what that means as at the bottom of the page it says FTTP isn't available.

Looks like Virgin are the only realistic option if you want faster speeds, I'm not sure who if any ISP's are taking on GFast customers, so that might mean dropping to 80Mbps if you stay on a openreach line, this leaves the question of is speed an issue and you need/want the faster speed, or are you happy at 80Mbps and seeing if a better price is available.

No it doesn't look like I am on Gfast but i am getting around 100mbps

That's good to hear then. Thanks.

In reply to a post by mikwillo1878:

No it doesn't look like I am on Gfast but i am getting around 100mbps

Impossible to get 100Mbps on VDSL2? Only up to 80Mbps

The current 100mbps isn't much of a problem but I would prefer something faster as I stream a lot of tv programmes (like premier league football on a firestick) and have 4 teenagers who live at home.

If you take service from someone using a different network operator to your Talk Talk service , then a new installation from that network will be required, that may , depending on how your current service is provided, require excavation from the footpath to your property .
As stated , the UPRN quoted doesn’t have Gfast available, which suggests you are on regular FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) with Talk Talk , the maximum speed being 80Mb , you presumably are quite close to the cabinet so may well get that , but not 100Mb , if TT sold you Gfast (TT150 ) you may have been misled

Edited by Iniltous (Wed 30-Apr-25 14:35:33)

I regularly get 100 according to the Ookla Speedtest app.

In reply to a post by mikwillo1878:

It also says FTTP On Demand is available but I'm not sure what that means as at the bottom of the page it says FTTP isn't available.

It means no Openreach FTTP.

("FTTP On Demand" is a bespoke product, costing tens of thousands of pounds, to get the OR FTTP network built out to your property when you don't currently have it available)

If an alternative fibre network like BeFibre is available, that won't be shown here.

In which case it’s a puzzle because according to your UPRN , it’s not available in your area .
If you sign up with a new FTTP based provider, there is no reduction in speed due to line length , so whatever speed you buy , that’s what you get , ( although it doesn’t mean you are immune from ‘congestion’ so may still get lower throughput than the headline figure )

Edited by Iniltous (Wed 30-Apr-25 14:43:59)

Yes BeFibre and Virgin are both newly available in the street so I'm probably going to go with one of those .

Yeh that's odd. I'm probably going to swap over to Virgin or BeFibre, I just need to decide which one.

I think we are all confused as to what your current package actually is. Gfast is not available, FTTC cannot deliver the speeds you are getting. Does TalkTalk have their own FTTP network in your area (or delivering via someone else's) - if you go to the TalkTalk site and put your postcode in what packages does it offer?

All I know is my contract is called Fibre 150 and this extract is from the Contract Summary:

Speeds of the internet service and remedies

You can look forward to an estimated download speed between 116.84 Mbps 139.93 Mbps with a minimum guaranteed download speed of 98.99 Mbps, a maximum speed of 139.93 Mbps and upload speed of 6.13 Mbps

When i enter my postcode now I only get 2 options for some reason, Fibre 65 and Fibre 35.

I'm pretty sure there were more options last time I checked.

I can only think that G.Fast was previously available but that it has been withdrawn then.

In reply to a post by ian72:

I can only think that G.Fast was previously available but that it has been withdrawn then.

Correctly. But some ISP still offering Sogfast. Few of them.

I wonder if the network is CityFibre, which TalkTalk does use in some areas. In which case you should be able to upgrade on TalkTalk or move to another provider that uses CityFibre.

Check your postcode here.

If you are indeed having G.Fast with your current TT contract and getting over 100Mbps in the speed tests. You can login to your router stats and check the Downstream sync speed and Upstream sync speed that the router is connected to.

For the TalkTalk WiFi router it will display as Actual rate (Kbps) This will be the direct link
http://192.168.1.1/01/gui/#/mybox/deviceInfo/deviceInfo
This will be more accurate than the speed tests. Sometimes speed tests can over-inflate results. But obviously, as you are saying you are connected with the 150Mbps plan, it is possible that TalkTalk discontinued the G.Fast packages and you were an old customer who signed up before the package was removed.

There are of-course a few number of other providers who also still offer G.Fast. But if you have Virgin Media nexfibre and it says "Great news! You can get top broadband speeds of up to Gig2." That is Full Fibre and most likely choosing a 500Mbps or 1Gbps package may be cheaper than going for a G.Fast package.

The Openreach FTTP on Demand option is not the same. Mostly everyone has this checker shown as available. This is a service you have to pay 9K to 15K build charge and is only really available for individual houses.

In reply to a post by mikwillo1878:

All I know is my contract is called Fibre 150 and this extract is from the Contract Summary:

Speeds of the internet service and remedies

You can look forward to an estimated download speed between 116.84 Mbps 139.93 Mbps with a minimum guaranteed download speed of 98.99 Mbps, a maximum speed of 139.93 Mbps and upload speed of 6.13 Mbps

When i enter my postcode now I only get 2 options for some reason, Fibre 65 and Fibre 35.

I'm pretty sure there were more options last time I checked.

Looks like you have two decent alternative. BeFibre and Virgin Media (importantly this is XGS-PON rather than coax or RFoG) are both available.

From Openreach’s copper network, seems like you previously had G.Fast but it’s now been withdrawn / not on the checker now.

There’s no CityFibre where you are, and native Openreach FTTP is several hundred metres away and not available for you either.

If it was the Cityfibre offering then the check they did on the TalkTalk website should have shown it as still available - that is why I think it was more likely G.Fast and that TalkTalk has withdrawn the G.Fast service - it may still be possible to keep it with them on G.Fast at whatever their current rates are even though it isn't showing on the website - but potentially with the 2 new providers available changing ISP may be a better option.

It's easy to tell which it is.

If it's G.Fast, then there will be a cable which plugs into the phone master socket, which is unpowered. If it's Cityfibre the cable will plug into an Optical Network Termination (ONT), easily distinguished because it will also have a power brick connected into it, and likely a power LED visible.

A cable into the phone socket will be a smaller connector with 2 or 4 pins in a 4 or 6 pin housing. The cable into an ONT will be ethernet which has 8 pins in an 8 pin housing.

Wow, my previous place had G.Fast but I failed to realise it until moved out. New place hasn't got

Openreached stopped G.Fast rollout and focused on FTTP. G.Fast was meant to bridge the gap temporarily.

Technically G.Fast can reach 1000 mbps but this isn't implemented in the UK.