Fibrus Broadband offers spectacular speeds at prices that won’t break the bank. Read on to get the full lowdown.
Fibrus Broadband was set up in 2018 to serve rural communities in Northern Ireland. It now delivers full fibre services in all six counties, and has also rolled out to rural parts of Northern England, including Cumbria.
It only offers (FTTP) deals, so you’ll need to have had this infrastructure installed where you live. If you have, Fibrus delivers some of the best value full fibre plans around, with cheap deals often available.
It serves up speeds from 106Mbps to 982Mbps, meaning you’ll get a lightning fast connection. What’s more, it comes with Amazon’s eero 6 router, which packs the latest Wi-Fi tech, giving you rock solid coverage throughout the home.
Why choose Fibrus Broadband?
The best thing about Fibrus is that it’s a full fibre provider – its entire network is fibre optic all the way, from the exchange right to your router, with no copper wiring in sight. That means fast speeds and a more reliable connection.
It’s also an independent network, which may offer you a faster, cheaper alternative to bigger names like BT that use Openreach to deliver their broadband.
Fibrus broadband comes on its own, landline-free as standard – which is great if you don’t need a home phone, but on the other hand means paying extra if you do.
The other downside is that you’re locked in to a Fibrus contract for two years, and customer reviews are a little mixed.
Pros of Fibrus Broadband
- Full fibre with speeds up to 982Mbps: Fibrus gives you a fully fibre optic connection, meaning fast speeds, a more reliable line, and almost no lag
- Good prices: Packages are priced very reasonably – you may even find they’re cheaper than slower broadband from other providers
- Great option in rural areas: Fibrus is keen to connect rural areas, particularly places that Openreach’s fibre network has been slow to reach, giving you access to fast broadband even if you’re out in the sticks
- No mid-contract price hikes: Unlike most broadband providers, Fibrus promises that your monthly bill won’t increase while you’re in your minimum contract term
- Contract buyouts: In some cases, if you switch to Fibrus while you’re still under contract with another broadband provider, Fibrus may help pay your exit fees
- No landline needed: You get Fibrus broadband on its own with no need for a landline too
Cons of Fibrus Broadband
- 24-month contracts: Fibrus is only available on lengthy two-year contracts
- Home phone costs extra: If you want a landline phone you’ll need to sign up to VoIP from Fibrus, which costs an extra £10 per month for unlimited anytime calls. Note that a number of other providers offer a pay-as-you-use home phone connection at no extra cost
- Can’t use your own router: If you find you aren’t happy with the included router, you can’t choose your own tech unless you upgrade to a static IP from Fibrus, which means an extra monthly fee
- Mixed customer reviews: Its Trustpilot rating is decent, but customer reviews are on the whole quite mixed. And because Fibrus isn’t a big enough provider to be rated in Ofcom customer service reports, it’s hard to judge how it compares to the rest of the market
- Limited bundling options: There’s only one home phone option, no option to like you can from other providers, and few other extras either. (That said, you can get TV separately from Sky)
How fast is Fibrus Broadband?
Fibrus offers a small selection of deals, all of which are full fibre. Each plan comes with an Amazon eero 6 router and they’re all 24-month contracts:
- Full Fibre 100 (106Mbps) – An entry level full fibre package, perfect for small to medium households that want a nice fast connection
- Full Fibre 150 (159Mbps) – Billed as being great for households of between two and four people. Suitable for working from home and lots of streaming
- Full Fibre 500 (500Mbps) – Ideal for larger households who have to work and study online, as well as stream video and run smart home equipment
- Full Fibre 1000 (982Mbps) – Built for hardcore internet users that love to stream and game at all hours
What are Fibrus Broadband’s bundles?
You don’t have many bundling options with Fibrus. It likes to keep things simple. Your choices are:
- Broadband
- Broadband + VoIP
Fibrus Talk, Fibrus’ option for landline calling, gives you unlimited calls to UK and ROI landlines and mobiles. This uses VoIP tech, but you can keep your existing landline number.
Does Fibrus offer broadband-only options?
Yes. Because Fibrus Broadband uses FTTP technology, it is a primarily offering. That’s because the tech does not require old copper landlines to complete the journey into your home, using fibre optic cable instead. The result is the fastest internet around.
You can add Fibrus Talk for an extra monthly fee. This uses the internet (VoIP) to make calls, but you can keep your old number to ensure a smooth transition.
If you can’t get Fibrus…
Fibrus only has very limited availability – it’s best to to see what’s available where you are.
More likely than not, you can get deals from providers on the Openreach network, such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, or Vodafone. They’re all steadily rolling out ultrafast gigabit broadband too, with surprisingly good coverage across Northern Ireland – so it’s worth checking what you can get.
You may also have access to ultrafast speeds from Virgin Media (though their network is a little more limited in Northern Ireland).
On the other hand, if you don’t have a need for speed, you can save money by picking a standard fibre package from a budget provider. Look out for TalkTalk or NOW, for instance.
You can also read more about and in our guides.