Vodafone full fibre broadband review

Vodafone's cheapest sensible broadband deal starts at around £25 a month. That is one of the lower entry points from a big-name provider, and it buys you full fibre rather than the older copper-based service, in areas where full fibre has reached your street.

The pool of live Vodafone deals has thinned recently. There is currently one main offer running, down from two a few weeks earlier, and the cheapest price has edged down from about £26.50 to £25 over the same stretch.

Speeds and plans

Vodafone's range climbs from an entry full fibre package up through faster tiers to ultrafast plans measured in gigabits. The cheapest deal, at around £25 a month, sits at the bottom of that range.

The jump from an entry full fibre plan to a mid-tier one gets you more download speed and a bit more comfort on a busy connection. If four people are streaming 4K in different rooms while someone uploads large files, the faster tiers earn their money.

Full fibre coverage is wide but not universal. The plan you can actually order depends on what has been built to your address.

Pricing

Around £25 a month for the entry full fibre deal is competitive against BT, Sky and the other large providers, who tend to charge more for a similar package.

The catch is the mid-contract price rise. Vodafone, like most large providers, raises prices during your contract. Newer contracts set out how much the price will go up and when, usually landing in the spring.

Once your contract runs out, the intro price disappears and you roll onto a higher standing rate.

Contract terms and install

Most Vodafone broadband deals run on 24-month contracts. Shorter 12-month options turn up from time to time, but the two-year term is the standard commitment.

Setup costs are usually nothing. Vodafone tends not to charge activation or setup fees on its standard plans, which keeps the day-one cost to the price of the first month. Installation is included. For a full fibre connection an engineer visit is often needed to bring the fibre into your home and fit the equipment, and that visit is part of the package rather than an add-on.

The gap between placing an order and getting a working connection is typically a couple of weeks, longer if new fibre has to be run to your property.

Reliability and support

On the connection itself, Vodafone does well. Customers report that the speeds delivered match what was advertised, and satisfaction with speed and reliability sits high.

Vodafone's customer service record trails its network performance. Complaint levels have run above the industry's best performers, and phone waits during busy periods are a recurring gripe.

Kit and extras

Standard plans come with Vodafone's own router, which supports the newer WiFi standards and handles a busy household of phones, laptops, TVs and smart-home gear. For a larger home where the signal struggles to reach the far corners, Vodafone sells a WiFi booster as a paid add-on.

The faster tiers come with a more capable router built for higher speeds and the latest WiFi. Some customers have reported fiddly setup on the newest units that needed a support call to sort.

If you already have Vodafone mobile, the Together discount knocks money off when you bundle broadband and mobile. The amount depends on the plans you pick, but for an existing Vodafone mobile customer it can push an already cheap deal lower.

A landline comes included at no extra cost, though you are not obliged to use it. TV options exist if you want them, but Vodafone is a broadband-first provider rather than a TV destination. If a big TV package is central to what you want, Sky or Virgin Media give you more to work with.

Verdict

Vodafone earns a recommendation for the price-conscious. The connection is fast and consistent, and the entry deal at around £25 a month undercuts most rivals for full fibre. It is an easy win for existing Vodafone mobile customers who can stack the Together discount.

The reservations are the built-in spring price rise, which pushes your monthly cost above the £25 you sign up for, and a complaint record that has run above the industry's best performers. If a quick, competent answer when something breaks is the thing you care about most, a provider with a stronger service record costs a few pounds more and delivers it.