Freeola as an ISP...?

Looking for a SOGEA (FTTC) broadband provider with a short contract and Freeola seems to fit the bill.

I've had a search around and found a scattering of approving comments about them as an ISP, but nothing of great substance (there is this TBB thread from 2022 but unfortunately it rather rapidly descends into irrelevant bickering!).

I understand Freeola's backhaul is provided by Zen.

Any thoughts?

Edited by binary (Mon 10-Mar-25 23:10:03)

In reply to a post by binary:

Looking for a SOGEA (FTTC) broadband provider with a short contract and Freeola seems to fit the bill.

I've had a search around and found a scattering of approving comments about them as an ISP, but nothing of great substance (there is this TBB thread from 2022 but unfortunately it rather rapidly descends into irrelevant bickering!).

I understand Freeola's backhaul is provided by Zen.

Any thoughts?

It looks like a good deal for short term tbh. I can't see much about installation/activation fees apart from £24 to move from Virgin Media.

Do you have a service aleady at the location you want the connection for?

Using them after moving house last year whilst we wait for Swish FTTP to finally rollout to our area. Generally fine with them as a temporary solution.

Was the only supplier I could find without a long contract tie in. I can't really comment on performance as my FTTC is so poor (25 down 1-2up, ping spikes, occasional drop outs) it's more the line quality/ interference / old DSL modem than the ISP I think.

I'd give them a try if you want something short term.

I have their FTTP service and it runs great, indeed Zen backhauled.

Thanks all. Seems like a good enough option for a short term arrangement.

Re other charges, for SOGEA at least if there is either a line with an existing service or a stopped line that can be restarted then there's no installation fee, otherwise there's a cost of £65. The Freeola ordering process appears to identify if there is a stopped line available at the premises that can be restarted.

There's also a termination charge for broadband services (both SOGEA/FTTC and FTTP) of £40.73 within the first 12 months, or £12.24 after the first 12 months. To give Freeola credit they do flag this up later as you progress through the ordering process.

That's pretty reasonable. For comparison, Aquiss' termination fee (if you cease the service without migrating it to another provider) is £45. Again, they are to be commended for making this clear up-front.

Edited by candlerb (Sun 30-Mar-25 19:03:50)