Truespeed review: symmetric full-fibre for the South West

Verdict

Truespeed is a full-fibre (FTTP) provider working in the South West of England, around Bath and into rural Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Every plan uses fibre to the premises with matching upload and download speeds, which is the main reason to look at it if you work from home, back up large files or make heavy use of video calls. Prices run from £20 a month for 150Mbps up to £29 a month for 900Mbps on an 18-month term, with no setup fee and free connection.

The pricing is clear and the symmetric speeds are a genuine point in its favour. What holds back a firmer recommendation is that independent evidence on real-world performance and service is limited and mixed. Judge it on the confirmed facts below, and treat the day-to-day experience as an open question until you have checked availability at your own address.

Deals and prices

The cheapest way in is the 150Mbps plan at £20 a month on an 18-month contract, £360 across the term. The 300Mbps plan is £24 a month (£432), the 600Mbps plan £27 a month (£486) and the 900Mbps plan £29 a month (£522). None of these carries a setup fee.

Stepping up in speed costs surprisingly little on the 18-month deals. Doubling from 150Mbps to 300Mbps adds £4 a month, and going all the way to 900Mbps adds £9 a month over the entry plan. If you have any reason to want more than 150Mbps, the higher tiers are priced closely enough to be worth a look.

Truespeed also offers shorter and longer terms on some plans, though they cost more per month:

• 150Mbps, 12 months: £25/month, total £300
• 150Mbps, 24 months: £25/month, total £600
• 300Mbps, 24 months: £29/month, total £696

The 12-month 150Mbps option is £5 a month more than the 18-month version, which is the price of a shorter commitment. The 24-month deals cost more per month than the 18-month equivalents, so a longer lock-in does not buy you a lower monthly rate here.

Speeds and network

All plans are FTTP with fully symmetric upload and download, so the advertised figure applies in both directions: 900Mbps down comes with 900Mbps up. That symmetry is unusual and useful for anyone who sends as much data as they receive.

The headline speeds (150, 300, 600 and 900Mbps) are advertised figures. There is no independent measured performance data to set alongside them, so treat them as the speeds sold rather than a promise of what you will see at the wall.

Contract, router and fees

Contracts run for 12, 18 or 24 months depending on the plan, and there is no setup fee on any of them. Connection is free.

Routers come in Wifi 6 or Wifi 7 versions. Wifi 7 is the newer standard, and having it on the table means your in-home wireless is not the part holding you back on the faster tiers.

Truespeed states it runs a fixed-price promise: no mid-contract price increases and no inflation-linked (CPI or RPI) rises during your contract term. That is the provider's own commitment. If it holds, it removes the annual price bump that many broadband contracts build in, and it makes the total contract costs above the figures you actually pay.

Who should choose it and who should not

Truespeed suits people in its South West coverage area who want fast, symmetric fibre and value knowing the monthly price up front. Heavy uploaders, remote workers and larger households will get the most from the 300Mbps and above tiers, which are cheap to reach from the entry plan.

It is not an option if you live outside its footprint, since it is an alternative network provider with a defined regional reach. And if you want reassurance from a long, well-documented track record on real-world speeds and support, the available evidence does not yet give you that.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Fully symmetric FTTP on every plan
• No setup fee and free connection
• Speed upgrades priced closely to the entry tier
• Wifi 6 or Wifi 7 routers supplied
• Stated no-mid-contract-price-rise policy

Cons

• Limited to the South West of England
• Longer 24-month deals cost more per month, not less
• Limited and mixed independent evidence on real-world performance and service