Compare Student Broadband Deals

FAQs

• What is CompareBroadband.com?

  • CompareBroadband.com is a comparison website that collates data on broadband deals from major providers across the UK, allowing you to find the best plan for your needs, available at your address.
• How do you rank broadband deals?

  • By default, broadband deals are sorted by popularity, based on deals with the lowest cost, and plans that people are often clicking on or buying. Sponsored deals can also appear higher in the rankings - these plans are labelled as "Sponsored". You can also choose to rank deals based on the lowest monthly cost, lowest upfront cost, or fastest download speed using the "Sort by" option next to the deals display.
• How do I switch broadband provider?

  • In general, you can switch broadband provider simply by placing an order for a new broadband plan on a broadband provider's website. Once you place an order, the new provider will handle the cancellation of the old connection on your behalf under Ofcom's one-touch switching scheme. Next, your new provider will organise a time with you to send an engineer to set up your new connection if necessary, or ship you a router in the mail if self-setup is possible. On the switchover date, you'll go live with your new broadband plan, and your old service will cease, helping to prevent any downtime for your broadband connection. There is typically a 14-day cooling-off period after placing a broadband order in case you change your mind.
• Will I have to pay any fees to leave my current broadband provider?

  • In general, you do not have to pay a fee to leave your current broadband provider as long as you are not in a fixed-term contract with them. Meaning, your initial contract period has expired (which usually occurs 12, 18, or 24 months after buying) and you have not renewed the contract, meaning you have not entered into a new fixed-term agreement with your current broadband provider. If you are in a fixed-term agreement, you usually have to pay a cancellation fee before you can leave.
• What is the difference between broadband providers and broadband infrastructure?

  • Each broadband provider in the UK sells service delivered using a certain type of infrastructure, also known as a broadband network. For example, BT uses the Openreach network, and Sky uses both the Openreach and CityFibre networks. We allow you to filter broadband deals by provider (seller) and infrastructure (network), in case there is a particular broadband network you would like to use. But if you prefer, you can just filter deals by provider as well.
• What broadband speed do I need?

  • The exact broadband speed you need depends on how many people use the internet at home, and what sort of activities you do online. For example, streaming high-definition videos requires more bandwidth than regular web browsing does. For one to two people, a 100 Mbps download speed should be plenty, but you might want 200-300 Mbps or more as a family with a lot of people online. To get a more exact idea of what download and upload speed it's worth paying for, given how your household uses the internet, use our internet speed needs calculator.
• How do mid-contract price rises work?

  • Some broadband providers increase the monthly cost of their plans during the contract period. Usually, the price rise is laid out in pounds and pence when buying a given broadband deal, so you know how the cost will change during the contract period before you commit. If the increase is not laid out ahead of time, and the provider changes their pricing mid-contract, you can generally leave the agreement without paying an early termination fee. Usually, price rises take place annually, often each April, meaning if you buy a 24 month contract, there will generally be two mid-contract price rises to plan around. In saying this though, some broadband providers, often smaller ones, offer tariffs with no mid-contract price increases.
• Which broadband providers can I use at my address?

  • There are now dozens of different broadband networks and hundreds of different providers serving different parts of the UK. To find out which options are available at your address, type in your postcode at the top of the page, select your address, and browse the different deals available. You can also use the Ofcom postcode coverage checker to view the availability of certain broadband networks.
• How can I save as much money as possible when buying?

  • To save money when buying broadband, we recommend avoiding add-ons such as inclusive landline calling minutes, WiFi extenders, and pay-TV services if you don't really need them. Also, avoid paying for more bandwidth than you need, and make sure to use CompareBroadband.com to view the different deals available at your address before committing to a given provider. It can also be worth considering 5G internet services instead of using fibre broadband to save money, and you may also be able to get a cheaper, discounted broadband deal using a social tariff if you are receiving certain types of benefit payments at the moment.
• What is the difference between FTTC and FTTP broadband?

  • Most modern broadband plans are delivered using fibre-optic cable, which is laid underground from the local broadband exchange. Fibre is either laid just to the cabinet in your street (fibre to the cabinet, also known as FTTC), with copper bridging the gap from the cabinet to your property, or more commonly, fibre is laid all the way to your house (fibre to the premises, also known as FTTP). While FTTC typically offers maximum download speeds of up to 100 Mbps in most cases, FTTP normally offers 1,000 Mbps or even sometimes up to 10,000 Mbps (10 Gbps).
• What is 4G/5G internet?

  • Rather than using fixed cables in your street, some broadband providers use wireless internet technology to connect to the internet, just like your phone does. These plans still come with a WiFi router that creates a hotspot you can use to get online, but rather than plugging into a wall socket, the router comes with a SIM card, and connects to the mobile network. Wireless internet plans can be cheaper than fibre broadband, but it's important that you have good mobile network signal in your area to ensure you get good speeds when using this technology. This is why many 4G/5G internet plans come with more generous return policies, allowing you to test the speeds at your house before committing to the length of the contract.