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Looking to switch to a new broadband provider? You could be paid £100 to test a new competitor to household brands like BT and Sky.
Yes, really. Mobile network Giffgaff is poised to launch a new broadband service, and it wants 500 people to test its home internet connection ahead of release. The company, best known for its affordable SIM-only plans, is asking people to register thier interest online now.
If Giffgaff broadband is available in your area — and you're lucky enough to be chosen to be one of the first to trial the service — you'll receive £100 cashback from the mobile carrier for providing detailed feedback.
Get £100 to test full-fibre broadband from Giffgaff
Help Giffgaff prepare to launch its home broadband service by becoming one of the first to trial the service. If you live in an area with access to the Nexfibre network, you can sign-up for 12-months of 500Mbps broadband for just £10 a month. At the end of the trial period, Giffgaff will request feedback. If you take part, you'll be paid £100
500 Full-Fibre Broadband
$10
Giffgaff will be leveraging Nexfibre’s national network, with plans to expand to Virgin Media O2’s full-fibre infrastructure in the near future. Both brands offer an alternative to BT-owned Openreach network, which is used by BT, Sky, EE, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and several other popular providers. Openreach, which is connected to 99% of all homes and business in the UK, is in the process of upgrading its network to full-fibre.
It plans to connect gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband to 25 million premises by 2026, before expanding to 30 million by the end of the decade.
Virgin Media O2 owns its own full-fibre broadband network, which is separate from BT-owned Openreach — the nationwide network of cables that powers Sky, BT, EE, Plusnet and TalkTalk broadband VIRGIN MEDIA O2 PRESS OFFICE In contrast, nexfibre is planning to roll-out full-fibre to more than 5 million premises across the UK by the end of 2026. Virgin Media O2 already owns and operates its own full-fibre network, which is connected to over 16 million homes and business nationwide. The company announced plans to allow other companies — like Sky — to use its cables to compete with Openreach last year.
Giffgaff is the first new brand to choose Virgin Media O2 and other partners over Openreach since the announcement.
“The roll out of Giffgaff broadband will add to the ambition of Nexfibre and Virgin Media O2’s combined national scale offering; being part of the biggest full fibre challenger to BT,” Giffgaff revealed in a statement. “Much like the approach with its mobile offering, launching Giffgaff broadband will introduce more choice to more people in the market through the Virgin Media O2 portfolio."
How will it work?
If you're chosen to be part of the trial, Giffgaff will offer you 12 months of its new 500Mbps full-fibre broadband service for £10 per month.
For comparison, BT charges £39.99 a month for the same speeds.
At the end of the year-long trial, you'll be asked to provide feedback on the broadband. If you answer questions on the service for Giffgaff, you’ll receive £100 cashback, meaning you've bagged yourself 12-month fast full-fibre broadband for a meagre £20. That equates to £1.60 a month.
A small group of UK residents are already involved in a trial, Giffgaff has confirmed, but the latest announcement signals the beginning of a broader roll-out ...and could hint that a full-scale launch isn't far off.
Speaking about the plan to expand its broadband to 500 people, Giffgaff CEO Ash Schofield said: "Broadband is a natural evolution for us as a connectivity brand. We know people are frustrated with their current broadband offering so we’re committed to bringing together the best tech, with the experience of the people that matter most – our customers – to build better broadband."
Research condudcted by Giffgaff found one in six people believe broadband is more important than a holiday, while 38% were frustrated by slow broadband speeds.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson added: “The planned launch of a Giffgaff broadband service mirrors the successful approach we’ve taken with the brand on the mobile side. It allows us to offer a complete range of broadband and mobile services to a wider mix of different customers and aligns with our broader commercial strategy.”
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Ernest Doku, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, commented on the announcement: “Giffgaff's entry into the broadband market could be exciting news for consumers looking for an alternative to the bigger players. The real test will be what kind of pricing that Giffgaff – long known as a value player – will be offering to consumers as this product becomes more widely available."
The final monthly price and release date for Giffgaff broadband — once it leaves this latest test phase — is unconfirmed.
