Why it's time to upgrade to fibre broadband

Fibre broadband is now available to 96% of households in the UK – but only two thirds of those with access have signed up. And when we surveyed more than 3,700 broadband customers, a fifth told us they still have slower standard broadband (also known as ADSL). 

So should those of us with standard broadband be considering an upgrade? We surveyed more than 2,500 who had upgraded to a fibre connection having previously had standard broadband – and we asked whether they’d noticed any improvement.

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Why it’s worth upgrading to fibre broadband 

It’s natural to expect fibre to be faster than a standard broadband connection, but you might have wondered whether you need this extra speed, or even whether you’d notice it. 

When we asked people who previously had slower standard broadband whether their connection improved when they upgraded to fibre, 81% said they thought they’d seen some degree of improvement. 

Nearly two thirds said they noticed faster speeds since upgrading to a fibre broadband package – plus nearly half said that downloads were faster and a third said that using streaming services for music, film and television had become smoother. 

A large proportion of customers found fibre more reliable, too – nearly half told us they’d noticed fewer connection drop outs and more than a third said they’d experienced fewer outages since upgrading. 

Why is fibre broadband more reliable?

As well as being faster, fibre broadband’s improved reliability is down to the cables that are used to make up the network. 

Standard broadband uses the copper phone network which is less reliable thanks to age and can be affected by extreme weather. Fibre broadband relies on light signals that are resilient over long distances. 

Not everybody needs the speediest fibre connections – particularly those whose time online is limited to checking emails or reading the news. However, if you’d like to stream music or video, make video calls, play games or share your connection with others, you’re likely to benefit from fibre.

Learn more about the potential benefits of an upgrade using our guide to broadband speeds.

Thinking beyond superfast 

While the vast majority of premises in the UK can access superfast speed, even higher speeds are becoming more common too. 

‘Ultrafast’ connections with speeds of at least 100 Mbps (Megabits per second) are now available to some 69% of homes. Some 66% of UK households can access the fastest type of connection – ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband with speeds of 1,000 Mbps (also known as 1 Gbps).

If you have a superfast fibre connection (average speeds between 30 Mbps and 99 Mbps) and live in a large household (or enjoy gaming), you could benefit from an upgrade to faster fibre.

Learn more about the different types of fibre connection in our guide to the benefits of fibre broadband.

How much more does fibre broadband cost? 

While you might expect fibre to be more expensive than standard broadband, that’s not always the case. If you’ve been with the same provider for some time, there’s a risk you’re paying over the odds for a standard broadband deal. 

Customers typically move from a cheaper introductory deal on to a pricier standard tariff once their minimum contract period ends. If you’ve been with your provider for more than 12 months, there’s a chance you’re paying this higher price – and could therefore stand to improve your connection and save money if you switch. 

Even customers signing up to a new broadband deal will find fibre broadband prices competitive – it usually only costs a couple of pounds more each month, but in many cases is the same price as a standard broadband package – or cheaper. 

Get help finding a great value fibre package using our round up of the best broadband deals  or use Which? Switch Broadband to find fibre broadband deals that are currently available where you live.