Broadband customers who rely on BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Plusnet will see prices increase in April, with the average monthly bills rising by 7.9%. To capitalise on the number of people who’ll be looking for a better deal, Vodafone has kickstarted its “Great British Telecoms Switch” campaign.
If you’re outside the minimum contract term with your current provider, you can switch to one of Vodafone’s broadband plans at no cost. This is usually between 18- to 24 months after you signed up. If you're still within the contract term, there could be a penalty when trying to switch.
But Vodafone has got that covered too.
The company has agreed to pay up to £100 towards any early termination fees when you sign up for its fastest Full Fibre 900 plan, which offers download speeds of up to 900Mbps. That’s 13x faster than the average household broadband speed in the UK.
If you have BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, and Plusnet broadband at your address ...you’ll be able to connect with Vodafone. That’s because all these brands rely on infrastructure from BT-owned Openreach.
Vodafone's flagship Wi-Fi router, known as the Vodafone Pro II Broadband Super WiFi Booster, pictured on a desk beside an Apple iMac
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With the vast majority of broadband companies increasing prices every year, sticking with the same internet provider for a long period can leave you over-paying compared to the competition.
Companies (almost) always offer the best prices to new customers, so regularly switching between providers is a sure-fire way to keep your monthly bills low.
According to research from Vodafone, it estimates that 8 million BT customers are overpaying by over £200 for the same full-fibre broadband speeds compared with Vodafone prices.
That eye-catching saving is based on a comparison between Vodafone’s 67Mbps Fibre 2, which costs £27 per month, and BT’s equivalent 72Mbps Fibre 2 Broadband and Phone package, which costs £35.99 per month. It compares both prices over a 24-month term.
Vodafone is currently charging £30 per month for its Full Fibre 200 plan, which offers download speeds of roughly 200Mbps. You’ll get a guaranteed download speed of 100Mbps. That's only £1 per month more than its Full Fibre 100 package, which offers half the download speeds.
For comparison, BT charges £34.99 per month for its Full Fibre 100 plan, which confusingly has an average download speed of 150Mbps. You'll get the same guaranteed 100Mbps downloads as Vodafone’s Full Fibre 200 plan though.
Vodafone doesn’t charge an upfront fee, while BT requires a one-off £29.99 fee. However, the latter is also offering 50% off for five months, dropping the cost down to £17.99 per month.
New Vodafone customers will be exempt from any mid-contract price rises until April 2025.
Speaking about the campaign, Chief Commercial Officer for Vodafone UK, Max Taylor said: “We are launching our Great British Telecoms Switch to help people save money on their broadband and make it easier for them to switch.
“We are committed to Ofcom’s ‘One Touch Switching’ regulation and disappointed it was delayed by our competitors, so calling on them to make sure they hit the new deadline and start making it easier for customers to get the best deal.”
The forthcoming “One Touch” switch system, now scheduled for September, will allow customers to switch between rival broadband infrastructure — including Virgin Media’s full-fibre network, which connects to roughly 16 million homes, smaller operators like HyperOptic and Community Fibre, and BT-owned Openreachwithout any hassle.
When the change kicks in, it'll offer the same experience as switching between broadband providers that run on Openreach infrastructure, like TalkTalk and Sky. When moving between these brands, there’s no need to contact your current supplier. Instead, your new supplier will sort everything behind the scenes.
Best of all, if you’re unable to connect to the new internet service on the date agreed, you’ll receive compensation. You don't need to take action, the money will be sent automatically.
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Paolo Pescatore, Industry analyst, PP Foresight said: “It’s great to see such much-needed excitement in the fixed-line broadband market. Despite the Ofcom One Touch Switch regulation being pushed back yet again to later this year, providers such as Vodafone are not resting on their laurels by ensuring choice at affordable pricing and more importantly making it easy to switch.
"Definitely one to watch as they continue to disrupt, reignite and kickstart the market.”
