BT is where it all began for telephone lines and Internet connections for the vast majority of people in the UK. Because of its historical status as Britain’s main telecoms provider, it remains one of the largest providers of broadband across the country.
BT fibre optic broadband is available to most UK properties through the Openreach network. Most other UK providers also share this network. BT is what’s known as a “quad-play” provider. This means that it offers the complete range of mobile, Internet, TV and landline services.
Check the table below to see BT’s current offers.
BT markets a selection of packages starting from Fibre Essential, its most basic, 36Mbps fibre connection. Meanwhile, for a few pounds more per month you can choose from its Fibre 1 and Fibre 2 packages, which offer average download speeds of 50Mbps and 74Mbps respectively. Those needing lightning-fast bandwidth can get advertised speeds of up to 300Mbps with its Fibre 100 or Fibre 200 deals.
Finally, speed freaks who need to stream, download or upload massive amounts of data may be able to get their hands on the whopping Full Fibre 900 package, which claims to offer speeds of up to 900Mbps.
But remember, where you live will affect both the quality and speed of your connection. The broadband regulator Ofcom has a handy tool to show you which providers can operate in your area and what kinds of speeds you can realistically expect.
BT also offers a “stay fast guarantee”, which promises that speeds at your home shouldn’t go below a certain level. If this does happen and your connection speeds stay below the guaranteed minimum for more than 30 days, BT will give you £20 and you’ll be able to leave your contract early without any penalty charges.
Typically you won’t need to get a new phone line installed, as the vast majority of BT’s broadband packages operate through fibre optic cables. You’ll need a landline if you want to include calls in your package, but this probably won’t involve needing a new line, as most UK homes already have a BT phone line.
You also might have heard of Openreach, a subsidiary of BT which owns all of the pipes and telephone lines which connect nearly all of the UK to the Internet. In 2016, BT agreed with Ofcom to make Openreach a separate company with its own staff and management.
The decision is designed to increase competition in the industry. Openreach will have to consult with its customers, which include Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Plusnet, to “serve all of its customers equally” without being influenced by BT.
| Smartphone app | |
|---|---|
| Live chat support | |
| Telephone support | |
| Email support |
BT has a live chat facility available via the support page, open everyday between 7am and 11pm.
BT customers can call free on 0800 800 150, with customer services available on weekdays between 8am and 9pm, and on weekends and banks holidays between 8am and 8pm.
BT is a member of Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation Scheme. This means that if certain things go wrong with the service you receive from the company, you’ll be entitled to a certain amount of money.
| Problem | You're eligible to claim if... | Amount of compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Delayed repair following loss of service | The service has stopped working and it's not fully fixed after 2 full working days | £8.06 for each calendar day that the service isn't repaired |
| Missed engineer appointments | An engineer fails to arrive for a scheduled appointment, or it's cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice | £25.18 per missed appointment |
| Delays with the start of a new service | The provider promises to start a new service on a particular date, but fails to do so | £5.04 for each calendar day of delay, including the missed start date |
BT broadband customers give the company a fairly decent rating for customer service, according to industry watchdog Ofcom. The regulator found in its most recent annual customer satisfaction survey that 80% of BT customers were satisfied about the provider’s service, which was the average score for the industry last year.
When customers did have complaints about BT’s service, just over half (55%) told Ofcom that they were satisfied with the way their problem was handled.
Customer reviews on the website Trustpilot are far less positive. Just under 90% of 9,100 reviews give the company a “bad” rating, compared to only 5% who said their experience with the firm was “excellent”. Reviewers on the site talk about payment issues and connection problems.
BT offers a range of plans for almost every home in the UK, making it one of the best for overall coverage across the country. While its plan prices are broadly competitive, BT is rarely, if ever, the cheapest option available, regardless of what kind of connection you’re looking to get.
While Ofcom’s annual survey in customer experience is broadly positive, we’ve seen a great number of customers talking about poor service. This includes complaints about delays in getting engineers to visit, payment issues and long time lags in getting responses to complaints and queries.
So, BT is certainly worth considering, but do as much research as you can to figure out if it offers the best value in your area. It’s also important to factor in the decidedly mixed experiences reported by customers when making complaints.
Having trouble with your BT broadband? Find all the details you need to contact the provider and solve your issue.
