Compare 1Gb broadband deals
If you’re looking for the fastest home broadband deal you can get, you’re on the right page. Gigabit broadband offers are the speediest you can sign up to, and the great news is that they’re getting more affordable. The availability of 1Gb broadband is improving all the time. There’s even a high chance you can already sign up!
If you often find yourself getting frustrated with video streams that suffer from annoying buffering, your video calls regularly stall, or you have trouble hosting games, upgrading to a 1Gb broadband service should be the answer to all your problems.
Let’s explore in more detail.
What is 1Gb Broadband?
1Gb broadband is an ultrafast internet service that can reach download speeds of 1 gigabit per second (1Gbps). That’s the equivalent of 1,000Mb per second. To put things into perspective, standard broadband most people can sign up to tends to max out at speeds around 30-100Mb. So 1Gb broadband deals are up to ten times faster!
Why should I consider 1Gb broadband deals?
How does a 1Gb broadband deal compare to a superfast broadband package that uses a standard telephone line? Let’s compare how long it would take to download the feature film ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ in 1080p HD (7.33GB).
| Broadband Type | Average Download Speed | Download Time |
|---|---|---|
| Superfast Broadband (FTTC) | 64Mb | 15 minutes 16 seconds |
| 100Mb Broadband (entry-level FTTP) | 100Mb | 9 minutes 46 seconds |
| 300Mb Broadband (ultrafast FTTP) | 300Mb | 3 minutes 15 seconds |
| 1Gb+ Broadband (FTTP) | 1.1Gb | 53 seconds |
As our homes get filled with more smart devices, the drain on an internet connection gets more obvious. You probably have more gadgets that hook into your Wi-Fi connection than you realise. Think about all your TVs, smartphones, consoles, or smart home surveillance cameras you may own. Although they individually have low bandwidth use, put them all together, and they can become an issue: especially for larger families.
Setting yourself up with gigabit internet can be a good way of future-proofing your home going forwards - things are likely to get more data-demanding.
Things to consider when choosing a 1Gb broadband deal
Coverage
Not every home in the UK can sign up to ultrafast broadband.
To get 1Gb broadband, you’ll need to have your local network upgraded to full fibre, or have access to the Virgin Media network.
Price
Faster broadband speeds can be expensive. But special offers and deals with free gifts can help keep these package prices down. Setup fees are often waived too, and you won’t have to pay line rental.
The Genie says...
Keep a look-out on our comparison tables for deals with a ‘fixed price promise’. This means that the monthly price will remain the same throughout your contract.
Bundled Broadband, Phone, and TV deals
Will you use all the extras included in a bundle? Take the time to work out how much it would cost to pay for these services separately. Are you confident you will make the most of this throughout your contract? It can be tricky to downgrade or cancel.
If you’re unsure, you may be best off signing up to a broadband only deal and subscribing to more flexible phone and entertainment deals separately.
Contract Length
Long 24 or 18-month contracts are most common now, but there are providers who sell 1Gb broadband deals on shorter agreement terms. These include:
- Community Fibre 1GB Fibre Broadband (12-month contract)
- Hull FIbre 1000 (12-month contract)
- Onestream Hyperstream Full Fibre 1000 (12-month contract)
- Rebel 1000 (12-month and 1-month contracts)
- BeFibre B2300 (12-month contract)
If you’re prepared to sign up for a deal just shy of 1Gb, you will also find more 12 or rolling contract options.
Engineer Appointments
Being set up with a new full fibre connection (FTTP) will require an engineer visit and may include drilling into the walls of your home. If you rent, you will need to get permission from your landlord. Someone will also need to be at home on installation day.
Who are the best providers offering 1Gb broadband deals
Not everyone has the same options when it comes to their broadband connection. But the good news is that over 85% of UK homes can sign up to 1Gb broadband deals or faster - either through a full fibre provider, or Virgin Media.
Here’s a round up of some 1Gb+ providers that may appear in your results table:
Virgin Media
- Average cost: £35 per month
- 18-month contract
Virgin Media cable is available to just over half of UK homes. If you’re in a Virgin Media network area, you will be able to sign up to Gig1 Fibre Broadband for average download speeds of 1.1Gb.
Some areas can now even sign up to an even faster service - ‘Gig2’. This gigafast service offers average download speeds up to 2Gb.
Vodafone
- Average cost: £70 per month (£37 for 910Mb speeds)
- 24-month contract
Sign up to Vodafone Pro II Full Fibre 1.6, and you can receive average speeds up to 1.6Gb. Don’t need such a fast deal? Vodafone Full Fibre 910 is also an option for around half the price.
Hyperoptic
- Average cost: £44 per month
- 24-month contract
If you’re keen to get a 1Gb service without having to sign up to a lengthy contract, Hyperoptic offers shorter 12-month and 1-month contracts.
All packages come with a fixed price promise, so you won’t be subject to any price rises during your contract.
There are also very reasonable call add-ons available, including an anytime UK landline call plan for only an extra £3 per month. Plus, you’ll get symmetrical upload speeds as fast as downloads.
YouFibre
- Average cost: £30-£100 per month
- 18-month contract
If YouFibre is in your area, you have the choice of several Gigafast products, including ‘You 8000’ - a package that offers an exceptionally fast service with symmetrical download and upload speeds averaging 6.8Gb!
900Mb+ packages
Meanwhile, although not technically a Gigafast service, there are many well-known providers on Openreach and CityFibre networks that offer average download speeds just shy of 1Gb.
BT
- Average cost: £45 per month
- 24-month contract
BT Full Fibre 900 offers average download speeds of 900Mb. This also comes with free and unlimited access to 5 million EE Wi-Fi Hotspots around the UK.
TalkTalk
- Average cost: £45 per month
- 18-month contract
Offering slightly faster average download speeds of 944Mb than its main competitors, TalkTalk’s contract length is also shorter at 18-months.
Sky
- Average cost: £41 per month
- 24-month contract
As well as average speeds up to 900Mb. Sky Broadband is an excellent choice if you want to explore bundle options for TV and calls, or even add a Netflix subscription.
Plusnet
- Average cost: £40 per month
- 24-month contract
Plusnet Full Fibre 900 is practically an identical product to BT Full Fibre 900. However, it will cost you less at under £40. Unfortunately, you won’t get the same perks as a BT customer.
How to find the best 1Gb broadband deals
All homes have access to different fibre broadband deals. There are some great, smaller providers that offer average downloads speeds of 1Gb+ with equally fast upload speeds to boot.
Don’t feel like you always have to stick to the same names. Some of these lesser-known providers offer incredible service and often come with fixed price promises, so there’s no cost hike during your contract.
Type your address into Broadband Genie’s deals checker to find out whether you can sign up to 1Gb broadband deals.
Frequently Asked Questions about 1Gb Broadband deals
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Is 1Gig broadband worth it?
If you live in a busy home with many people online at the same time, or if you regularly carry out large downloads or play host to online games, 1Gig Broadband Deals are a great option and worth upgrading to.
However, if you’re currently on a slower, superfast broadband package, you may not have to take such a huge jump. Average download speeds of 100Mb+ should be fast enough for most homes, and work out much cheaper.
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Who offers the cheapest 1Gb broadband deals?
Check our Cheap Broadband page for up-to-date advice on who offers the cheapest 900Mb broadband and faster.
We also highly recommend carrying out a postcode search and setting your ‘average speed’ filter to 900Mb and your ‘sort by’ to ‘effective monthly cost (low to high)’. This will take into account any free gifts that may be on offer to new customers.
Virgin Media Gig1 and Vodafone Full Fibre 910 may not offer the cheapest monthly cost, but they often come with high-value gift cards.
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Which providers offer the fastest broadband deals?
YouFibre ‘You 8000’ is regularly the fastest broadband package in our results table, but it’s not available to all homes. You can check availability using our deals checker.
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How do I check my current internet speed?
Before you upgrade to a new broadband package, we recommend testing your current internet speed. This will give you a better idea how your current provider is serving you. If you’re really struggling during peak times, it could be a good idea to look at upgrading to the next tier of speed. If your internet regularly grinds to a halt, think about doubling your package speed.
You can do this at any time for free, using our broadband speed test.
Unfortunately, it may be the case that your home network hasn’t been upgraded to full fibre (FTTP) yet, and you can only get standard, ‘Fibre To The Cabinet’ broadband (FTTC). If this is the case, and you don’t have access to speeds over 64Mb, or access to Virgin Media’s cable broadband, we recommend you sign up for updates on new network upgrades on the Openreach website.
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Do I need a special router for ultrafast broadband?
When you sign up to an ultrafast broadband package as a new customer, you’ll receive a dedicated router as part of the deal. If you’re interested in finding out more about the type of hardware bundled in with a contract, browse through these round-ups:
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I live in a rural area. When will I be able to sign up to a 1Gb broadband provider?
It's worth exploring the Gigabit broadband voucher scheme. This is available for people and businesses whose internet can’t reach speeds of 100Mbps, or there aren’t any commercial or government broadband developments planned in the area.
The voucher will go to your local supplier so that they can install the new infrastructure that’ll be necessary for faster speeds. You’ll need to be signed up with this provider to actually access these new speeds, so it could be a long process. But this is something that can help a lot of people in rural areas.
Expert Summary
Not every home will have access to 1Gb broadband deals, but over the coming years, it’s going to become more accessible as the full fibre rollout picks up pace. The good news is that already over 85% of the UK can sign up to a Gigabit deal in some shape or form.
1Gb+ broadband gives you many more opportunities for fast working, even if several of you are carrying out data-intensive tasks at the same time. You shouldn’t ever need to worry about buffering videos (even in Ultra HD) or downloading large files.
But not everyone will need speeds this fast day-to-day. If you’re unsure, you can read our guide: ‘What broadband speed do I need?’.
Your first step, if you’re looking to upgrade to faster broadband, is to use Broadband Genie’s deals checker. This will clearly show the options available to you at home.