The choice between these two broadband providers can be decided on a few factors including coverage, speed, pricing, packages, features, and infrastructure & investment. Let’s start with coverage.
BT Broadband, which uses Openreach’s network, has far more extensive reach, covering 87.01% of Northern Ireland with full fibre and 30% of UK homes. It has plans for significant expansion with speed offerings up to 900 Mbps, designed to meet the majority of household needs. In terms of coverage, Fibrus primarily serves Northern Ireland and Northern England with 17,000 kilometres of fibre already laid across Northern Ireland and Cumbria. This extensive fibre network currently reaches around 250,000 homes with ultrafast pure fibre broadband.
The next big milestone for Fibrus broadband is reaching 1 million homes (around 1.5% of the UK population). That’s a significant achievement for the challenger whose customer base has grown five times its size in just over 12 months. With a 400-strong team and £700 million in committed capital, Fibrus is a network with an exciting future.
| Feature | Fibrus Broadband | BT Broadband |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price per Month | Starting at £14.99 | Beginning from £32.99 |
| Initial Setup Cost | No setup fees | Up to £31.99, varying by package |
| Contract Duration | 24-month commitment | 24-month agreement |
| Type of Connection | Exclusively Full Fibre | Full Fibre, Part-Fibre, and Copper |
| Range of Download Speeds (Average) | 96Mb, 286Mb, 946Mb | 36Mb, 50Mb, 67Mb, 150Mb, 500Mb, 900Mb, 1950Mb |
| Range of Upload Speeds (Average) | 30Mb, 100Mb, 300Mb | 9.5Mb, 19Mb, 28Mb, 73Mb, 110Mb |
| Supplied Router | Amazon eero 6+ / eero Pro 6E | BT Smart Hub 2 / Home Hub 4 |
| WiFi Coverage Guarantee | Available from £7.99/month | Offered for £10/month with a £100 guarantee |
| Parental Control Features | eero app-based controls | BT-specific Parental Controls |
| Home Phone Service Cost | £9.99/month with inclusive calls | Basic service at £5/month, extra for call plans |
| Anytime Calls Package | Included in home phone | £18/month, includes UK mobiles |
| Sources: Infracapital, Sync NI, Fibrus | ||
Fibrus offers packages with speeds from 96 Mbps to an incredibly fast 2000 Mbps (around 28 times faster than the UK’s average speed). They provide Total Home Wi-Fi guarantees with innovative router options like Eero 6+ and Eero Pro 6e, and the option to add extra routers for extended coverage. Installation times vary from 10 to 20 days, depending on the area’s urban or rural status. BT provides reliable Wi-Fi solutions, including the Complete Wi-Fi add-on and Hybrid Connect for backup connectivity. Their ‘Stay Fast’ speed guarantee adds customer assurance. Unlike Fibrus, which uses Amazon’s Eero, BT has its own Smart Hub and Smart Hub 2 routers, known for strong Wi-Fi signals and reliability.
On the question of download and upload speeds, there are some parallels but also key differences between BT and Fibrus. Fibrus offers notably higher top-tier download speeds than BT, with their Full Fibre 1000 and Full Fibre 2000 included in their package range, reaching average download speeds of 946 Mbps and 850-1950 Mbps, respectively. BT Broadband’s highest current speed offering is the Full Fibre 900 package with an average download speed of 900 Mbps (and a guaranteed download speed of 700 Mbps throughout the day). The Fibrus entry-level package, Full Fibre 100, starts at an average download speed of 96 Mbps, while BT’s standard broadband begins at speeds up to 10 Mbps.
The main difference in upload between BT and Fibrus is seen in their higher-tier packages. BT’s highest upload speed is 110 Mbps for its Full Fibre 900 package, while Fibrus offers up to 300 Mbps in its equivalent Full Fibre 1000 and Full Fibre 2000 packages.
The range of speeds offered by BT Broadband compared to Fibrus has much to do with the history of these two companies. BT Broadband, a service by BT Consumer, a division of the BT Group, has transitioned through various stages, including BT Total Broadband and BT Yahoo! Broadband. Originally, it focused on legacy ADSL broadband products like ADSL Max and ADSL2+. The BT Home Hub, for example, initially used a standard ADSL connection, supporting ADSL2+ up to 24 Mbps. In contrast, Fibrus established much later and deployed full-fibre (FTTP) infrastructure from the outset, bypassing the legacy copper-based network stages. This approach allowed Fibrus to offer higher-speed packages from the start, avoiding the limitations of copper wire technology.
| Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT Full Fibre 1 | 50 Mbps | 10 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £32.99 after |
| BT Full Fibre 2 | 74 Mbps | 20 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £35.99 after |
| BT Full Fibre 100 | 150 Mbps | 30 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £34.99 after |
| BT Full Fibre 300 | 300 Mbps | 49 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £37.99 after |
| BT Full Fibre 500 | 500 Mbps | 73 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £43.99 after |
| BT Full Fibre 900 | 900 Mbps | 110 Mbps | FREE for 3 months, £49.99 after |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 100 | 96 Mbps | 20 Mbps | £29.99 |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 500 | 500 Mbps | 100 Mbps | £44.99 |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 1000 | 946 Mbps | 300 Mbps | £54.99 |
| Fibrus Full Fibre 2000 | 1950 Mbps | 300 Mbps | £74.99 |
| Source: BT, Fibrus – December 2023 Speed and Pricing Full Fibre Broadband. | |||
| Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Average Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibrus - Full Fibre 100 | 97 Mbps | 30 Mbps | £14.99 |
| Fibrus - Full Fibre 300 | 286 Mbps | 100 Mbps | £19.99 |
| BT - Full Fibre 1 | 50 Mbps | 10 Mbps | £28.87* |
| BT - Full Fibre 100 | 150 Mbps | 30 Mbps | £30.62* |
| BT - Full Fibre 2 | 74 Mbps | 20 Mbps | £31.49* |
| BT - Full Fibre 300 | 300 Mbps | 49 Mbps | £33.24* |
| Fibrus - Full Fibre 1000 | 946 Mbps | 300 Mbps | £34.99 |
| BT - Full Fibre 500 | 500 Mbps | 73 Mbps | £38.49* |
| BT - Full Fibre 900 | 900 Mbps | 110 Mbps | £43.74* |
| * Average monthly cost for BT packages is calculated over 24 months, including 3 months free. | |||
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