A Review of BT Fibre Essential, Fibre 1 & 2, and Full Fibre (100,500,900)

Below is a full, impartial review of BT’s Fibre offerings: Fibre Essential, Fibre 1 & 2, and Full Fibre packages (100, 500, 900). This article delves deep into the specifics of each of these broadband services, including their performance, value for money, reliability, and customer service quality. Whether you’re considering the budget-friendly Fibre Essential or contemplating the high-speed, robust Full Fibre options, the aim here is to provide you with all the insights you need to make an informed decision.

What is BT Fibre Broadband?

BT fibre broadband comes in 6 different packages and two broad categories: There are sub 100 Mpbs packages (BT Fibre Essential, BT Fibre 1,  BT Fibre 2) which operate as FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) and the three packages above 100 Mpbs (BT full Fibre 100, full fibre 500 and full fibre 900) which operate on a much faster FTTH (fibre to the home) connection. This article gets into the details to help you find the best fit for you and indeed your family, housemates, or whoever you share accommodation with. Let’s get straight into it:

BT Fibre Essential is designed to cater to individuals and small households comprised of minimal internet users, providing an average speed of 36Mbps. The package includes a BT Smart Hub 2, currently the standard device provided with BT fibre broadband deals. Notably, the Fibre Essential is 14Mbps slower than Fibre 1, the next tier up, which provides 50Mbps of download speed. Given that Fibre 1 is just marginally pricier (£1 per month, as of this writing), it’s often recommended for those looking for a bit more speed.

BT Fibre 1, on the other hand, offers better value for small to average-sized households. But how does it fare against Fibre 2, BT’s top-tier offering? The speed gap between the two is 17Mbps, not a substantial difference in practical terms. The discrepancy becomes more apparent in larger households, where multiple devices might be online simultaneously, often streaming or gaming. Both Fibre 1 and Fibre 2 come with the advanced Smart Hub router, with a minimal monthly price difference of £4.

BT Fibre 2, while similar in download speeds to other tiers, stands out for its higher upload speeds. This feature is particularly crucial for users with heavy upload activities, such as cloud computing, file sharing, and certain online games. The Fibre 2 package offers an average upload speed of 18Mbps, a significant boost compared to the 9Mbps offered by both Fibre 1 and Fibre Essential.

For those seeking higher speeds, there’s BT Full Fibre (currently available in select regions). Known also as fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the premises (FTTP), BT’s Full Fibre offers ultrafast speeds between 100Mbps and 900Mbps, standing as a serious competitor to Virgin Media’s Gig1 1000Mbps service.

Current Special Offers and Deals on BT Broadband

BT Full Fibre Package Deal Contract Duration BT TV Add On Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Download Speed Stay Fast Guarantee Upload Speed Previous Price Current Price P&P Cost
Full Fibre Essential (Without Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 36Mb 18Mb 10Mb N/A £27.99 £9.99 upfront
Full Fibre Essential (With Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 36Mb 18Mb 10Mb N/A £32.99 £9.99 upfront
Full Fibre 1 (Superfast deal) (Without Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 50Mb 25Mb 10Mb N/A £29.99 Free
Full Fibre 1 (Superfast deal) (With Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 50Mb 25Mb 10Mb N/A £34.99 Free
Full Fibre 100 (Without Phone) 24 months £10 a month N/A 150Mb 100Mb 30Mb N/A £29.99 Free
Full Fibre 100 (With Phone) 24 months £10 a month N/A 150Mb 100Mb 30Mb N/A £34.99 Free
Full Fibre 2 (Without Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 74Mb 34Mb 20Mb N/A £35.99 £29.99 upfront
Full Fibre 2 (With Phone) 24 months N/A N/A 74Mb 34Mb 20Mb N/A £40.99 £29.99 upfront
Full Fibre 500 (Without Phone) 24 months £10 a month 6 months 500Mb 425Mb 73Mb £44.99 £32.99 £9.99
Full Fibre 500 (With Phone) 24 months £10 a month 6 months 500Mb 425Mb 73Mb £49.99 £37.99 £9.99
Full Fibre 900 (Without Phone) 24 months £10 a month 12 months 900Mb 700Mb 110Mb £54.99 £40.99 £9.99
Full Fibre 900 (With Phone) 24 months £10 a month 12 months 900Mb 700Mb 110Mb £59.99 £45.99 £9.99
Notes on BT Deals The information information in the table our summary. There are important legal notes for consumers when signing up to or renewing contracts with BT for various services, including landline, mobile, broadband, TV, or sports. Price Increases:  It important to note that the monthly prices for these services increase on March each year. This increment is tied to the Consumer Price Index Rate of inflation published in January each year, plus an additional 3.9%. For full details, consumers are directed to visit the BT website at bt.com/prices. Please note that all the prices shown are the in-contract prices, and if the contract is not renewed after 24 months, the prices may increase by up to £8. Broadband without landline phone For those considering broadband without a landline. Such a choice would mean losing the home phone number and the ability to make or receive calls, including emergency services. Moreover, any services or personal alarms connected to the home phone will cease to function. Once the home phone number is lost, it can't be retrieved; if consumers decide they need a home phone in the future, they'll have to obtain a new number. Lastly, for those who wish to add a landline, it's important to note that BT's latest landlines use a technology called Digital Voice. Any current services or personal alarms connected to the home phone should be checked with their respective providers to ensure compatibility with Digital Voice

An Overview of BT Fibre Packages

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BT Fibre Essential

BT Fibre Essential – the entry-level offering in BT’s fibre broadband lineup – has an average speed of 36 Mbps download and 9 Mpbs upload.. It should accommodate the needs of individual users or smaller households who are often characterised by light internet usage. You also get unlimited free access to over 5 million UK WI-FI hotspots which is  standard with all BT fibre packages.

The Fibre Essential package includes a BT Smart Hub 2, the standard device currently provided with all of BT’s fibre broadband deals. This advanced device is engineered to deliver reliable and strong wireless connectivity throughout your home, ensuring a smooth online experience whether you’re browsing, streaming, or simply checking emails.

Although Fibre Essential’s download speed is 14Mbps slower than the mid-tier Fibre 1 option from BT, it makes for a more affordable choice for users who do not require high-speed internet. As of the current pricing, the Fibre Essential package is a mere £1 per month cheaper than the Fibre 1 package.

This makes BT Fibre Essential an excellent solution for customers looking for reliable fibre broadband without the need for higher-speed options. However, for users requiring a bit more speed for tasks like high-definition streaming or gaming, upgrading to BT Fibre 1 may be worth considering.

BT Fibre Essential

Quick summary of BT Fibre Essential

Download Speed

36 Mpbs

Upload Speed

9 Mpbs

Cost Per Month

£31.99

Contract Length

24 Months

BT Fibre 1

BT Fibre 1 is the mid-range package in BT’s fibre broadband offering, providing a suitable solution for small to average-sized households.

Features of BT Fibre 1

With an average download speed of 50 Mbps and upload of 9 Mbps, BT Fibre 1 strikes a balance between cost and performance. It provides a sufficiently fast connection for moderate internet activities such as HD video streaming, online gaming, and file downloading.

Just like the Fibre Essential package, BT Fibre 1 also comes with the BT Smart Hub 2. This device ensures a stable and robust connection throughout your home, effectively supporting multiple devices online simultaneously.

While the Fibre 1 package is faster than the Fibre Essential, the real-world difference is not vast. However, the speed difference can be noticeable in households where multiple users are online simultaneously, performing data-intensive tasks.

Pricing and Contract Information for Fibre 1

As for the pricing, BT Fibre 1 is a notch higher than Fibre Essential, but it offers a considerable speed upgrade for a small increase in cost. At the time of writing, the price difference is only £1 more per month, making it a cost-effective choice for those requiring a speed boost.

Similar to most BT broadband packages, Fibre 1 comes with a 24-month contract. This standard contract length ensures that you can enjoy the high-speed connectivity of BT Fibre 1 without worrying about changes in price or service terms for two years

BT Full Fibre 1 (grey)

BT Fibre 2

Serving as the premium choice in BT’s core fibre broadband line-up, BT Fibre 2 delivers superior speeds and features, tailored for larger households or users with more significant internet demands.

Features of BT Fibre 2

BT Fibre 2 offers an average download speed of 67Mbps, sufficient to cater to the online needs of larger households where multiple devices might be used concurrently. It’s well-suited for high-definition streaming, intensive online gaming, and swift large-file downloads. Notably, BT Fibre 2 stands out for its higher upload speeds, which is a critical advantage for users engaged in upload-intensive tasks such as cloud computing, file sharing, and specific types of online gaming. This package offers an average upload speed of 18Mbps, a substantial improvement compared to the 9Mbps offered by both Fibre 1 and Fibre Essential. Like the other packages, BT Fibre 2 also includes the BT Smart Hub 2, which ensures reliable and robust Wi-Fi connectivity throughout your home.

Pricing and Contract Information for Fibre 2

While BT Fibre 2 is more expensive than the Fibre 1 and Fibre Essential packages, the enhanced features and superior speeds it provides are well worth the extra cost for users with higher internet demands. At the time of writing, the difference in cost is £4 more per month compared to the Fibre 1 package. The BT Fibre 2 package comes with a standard 24-month contract. This agreement allows customers to utilise the high-speed service for two years, ensuring stability in both price and service.
BT Fibre 2

Summary of BT Fibre 2

Download Speed

67 Mpbs

Upload Speed

18 Mpbs

Cost Per Month

£35.99

Contract Length

24 Months

BT FTTC Packages Side-by-side

BT Full Fibre 100

For those seeking a step above the traditional fibre offerings, BT provides the Full Fibre 100 package. This ultra-fast broadband service represents the cutting edge of home internet, catering to heavy internet users, gamers, and those who require high-speed internet for advanced digital tasks.

Features of BT Full Fibre 100

BT Full Fibre 100 delivers ultrafast with guaranteed 100 Mbps but reaching speeds of up to 150 Mbps. These speeds significantly reduce download and upload times, even for large files or data-intensive tasks, enhancing the online experience to a whole new level.

Full Fibre is also known as fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) or fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection, indicating that the fibre connection runs directly into your home or office, rather than stopping at a local street cabinet. This direct connection facilitates faster and more reliable internet speeds.

BT Full Fibre is continuously expanding its reach across the country. So, even if it’s not currently available in your area, it might well be in the near future.

Pricing and Contract Info

Pricing for BT Full Fibre 100 varies depending on your location and the specific package you choose. Given the ultra-fast speeds and superior features, BT Full Fibre 100 is priced higher than BT’s other packages. However, for those who require such high-speed connectivity, the investment is certainly worthwhile.

Like BT’s other packages, Full Fibre 100 also comes with a 24-month contract, ensuring stability in pricing and service terms over two years.

In conclusion, BT Full Fibre 100 presents a remarkable leap forward in home broadband services. Offering lightning-fast internet speeds and robust performance, it’s the ideal choice for heavy internet users seeking a seamless, ultra-fast online experience.

BT Full Fibre 100

Quick summary of BT Fibre 100

Download Speed

100 Mpbs

Upload Speed

10 Mpbs

Cost Per Month

£37.99

Contract Length

24 Months

BT Full Fibre 500

The BT Full Fibre 500 package represents a substantial leap in broadband connectivity, offering ultra-high-speed internet that caters to the most demanding users and households.

Key Features of BT Full Fibre 500

BT Full Fibre 500 provides staggering average speeds of 500Mbps. These speeds enable seamless online experiences, even when multiple users are engaged in high-bandwidth activities like 4K streaming, intensive gaming, or large file downloads and uploads.

Like its Full Fibre counterparts, Full Fibre 500 also offers a direct fibre connection to your home or premises (FTTH or FTTP), bypassing the local street cabinet. This ensures the fastest possible speeds and a more reliable internet connection.

The BT Full Fibre 500 package is particularly suited to households with multiple users and devices, or users who frequently download or upload large files, stream 4K video content, or engage in data-heavy online gaming.

Pricing and Contract Info for Full Fibre 500

BT Full Fibre 500, given its superior features and high speeds, comes at a higher price point compared to the lower-tier packages. However, the value it provides, particularly to power users and busy households, can make the investment worthwhile.

As with other BT offerings, Full Fibre 500 also comes with a standard 24-month contract, offering price and service stability over this period.

BT Fibre 500

Quick summary of BT Fibre 500

Download Speed

500 Mpbs

Upload Speed

73 Mpbs

Cost Per Month

£47.99

Contract Length

24 Months

BT Full Fibre 900

The BT Full Fibre 900 is the most advanced package in BT’s broadband lineup. It’s tailored to deliver superlative speeds that can effectively support even the most demanding internet tasks in high-usage environments.

Key Features of BT Full Fibre 900

BT Full Fibre 900 is capable of delivering eye-watering speeds of up to 910 Mbps, ensuring virtually instantaneous downloads and seamless streaming, even in ultra-HD. With such a high-speed connection, multi-device usage, large file transfers, heavy-duty gaming, and similar high-bandwidth activities can occur simultaneously without any noticeable slowdown.

Like its counterparts in the Full Fibre category, Fibre 900 also provides a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) or fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection, which ensures maximum speed and reliability by avoiding the potential bottleneck of a local street cabinet.

Pricing and Contract Info for Full Fibre 900

Given the premium features and unrivalled speeds of BT Full Fibre 900, it’s positioned at a higher price point than BT’s other offerings. However, for households with significant internet demands or businesses that rely on fast, stable internet connections, the investment can be highly valuable.

Similar to other BT packages, Full Fibre 900 comes with a 24-month contract. This allows users to benefit from consistent pricing and service quality over a two-year period.

In summary, BT Full Fibre 900 represents the apex of home broadband services. It’s the ideal choice for users who need the fastest speeds available for intensive internet usage, heavy gaming, or running a business from home.

BT Full Fibre 900

Quick summary of BT Fibre 900

Avg Down Speed

910 Mpbs

Avg Up Speed

110 Mpbs

Cost Per Month

£57.99

Contract Length

24 Months

BT FTTP Packages Side-by-side

The Pros and Cons of BT Broadband Packages

What We Like

  • Five million WiFi hotspots across the UK available for free to BT mobile and broadband customers (see BT’s website).
  • A broad range of speeds – including BT’s 3 tiers of full fibre (100, 500 and 900).
  • Extensive availability across the UK currently reaching 95% of UK households and continuing to expand.
  • Truly unlimited broadband usage – no traffic management or fair use policy.
  • High-quality router – The Fibre 100 packages come with BT’s Smart Hub 2
  • Good selection of TV bundles.
  • No need for a phone line to use broadband services.
  • High satisfaction with broadband speeds.
  • Exclusive offers on BT Sport.
  • Free cloud storage and online security

What We Don't Like

  1. More expensive than many rival providers.
  2. Mixed customer reviews regarding service quality.
  3. Expensive out-of-contract price hikes.
  4. All contracts last for 24 months.
  5. Questionable value for money.
  6. Mixed Customer Reviews.
  7. Confusing pricing for tariffs.
  8. ADSL packages are pricey.
  9. Availability of the best broadband speeds is limited to few households.
  10. Wi-Fi router provided does not support Wi-Fi 6.

A Video Review of Each BT Fibre Package

Play Video about BT-Full-Fibre-100-How-Does-it-Compare-with-other-packages

Getting Connected to BT Fibre

The BT Smart Hub 2 router is a next-generation device that boasts impressive specifications and features to provide a seamless and reliable internet connection. This high-performance router is designed with the latest WiFi technology, utilising the widely adopted WiFi 5 (802.11ac) standard to ensure compatibility with the majority of devices. One of the standout features of the BT Smart Hub 2 is its smart channel selection capability. This intelligent system automatically connects your devices to the fastest WiFi channel and frequency available, ensuring optimal performance for your internet activities. In addition, the router is equipped with dual-band technology, utilising both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands to deliver a stable and reliable WiFi signal, irrespective of your device’s proximity to the router. To maintain a robust network connection, the BT Smart Hub 2 continually monitors your connections, filtering out interference and automatically rebooting to resolve any issues should they arise. This proactive approach helps to ensure a consistently reliable internet experience for users. Another notable aspect of the BT Smart Hub 2 router is its inclusion of four gigabit LAN ports. These high-speed ports enable you to connect up to four devices via cable, providing the maximum possible speed and a dependable connection for data-intensive tasks. Finally, the BT Smart Hub 2 boasts an impressive array of seven antennae, designed to ensure excellent WiFi signal coverage throughout your home. This advanced antenna configuration enhances signal strength and minimises dead zones, allowing you to enjoy a high-quality and consistent internet experience, no matter where you are in your home.

FAQs on BT Fibre Broaband

BT Full Fibre 100 has an average download speed of 150Mbps. It’s download speed is quite a bit lower than that – around 30 Mpbs.
The “100” in BT Full Fibre 100 is a nominal base speed of the broadband package, which is around 100Mbps. In fact, that’s also BT’s stay fast guarantee for this particular package. The actual speed of the line, however, can differ widely with speeds of up to 150Mbps.
BT Full Fibre 100’s key features include a monthly price of £29.99, a download speed of 150Mbps, an upload speed of 30Mbps, fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband, Smart Hub 2 router, packages for broadband only, broadband & phone, and broadband & TV, parental controls, and a 24-month contract length.

The three primary differences between BT Full Fibre 100, 500, and 900 are their average download speeds, average upload speeds and cost. Full Fibre 100 offers 150Mbps download speed and 30Mbps upload speed for £29.99/month, while Full Fibre 500 provides 500Mbps download speed and 73Mbps upload speed for £47.99/month. In contrast the Full Fibre 900 delivers 900Mbps download speed and 110Mbps upload speed for £57.99/month.

According to USwitch stats, nearly 99% of the UK now has fibre broadband of some kind, whether it be FTTC, VDSL, G. fast, cable, or FTTP. However, full fibre which is a much newer type of broadband using fibre optic cable is only available to around 44% of UK. To get an accurute answer for whether BT Full Fibre 100 is avialable in your area it’s recommended that you visit their website.

The short answer is yes. For most households, BT Full Fibre 100 reaching 150Mbps is fast enough to support multiple users and devices simultaneously, including streaming, gaming, and video conferencing. This is more than enough for a couple living together or even a mid to large household.
Full Fibre offers significantly higher download and upload speeds as it uses fibre cable all the way to your property (FTTH), whereas Fibre 1 and 2 use a combination of fibre and copper cabling, which results in slower speeds. As a comparison, Fibre 1 offers average download speeds of 50Mbps, Fibre 2 offers 67Mbps, and Full Fibre 100 speeds of around 150Mbps.
Full Fibre offers significantly higher download and upload speeds as it uses fibre cable all the way to your property (FTTH), whereas Fibre 1 and 2 use a combination of fibre and copper cabling, which results in slower speeds. As a comparison, Fibre 1 offers average download speeds of 50Mbps, Fibre 2 offers 67Mbps, and Full Fibre 100 speeds of around 150Mbps.
BT Full Fibre 100, averaging 150Mbps, is more than double the speed of BT’s Fibre 2 package, which offers an average of just 67Mbps. What are the key features of the BT Full Fibre 100?
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