Broadband in Bristol

Bristol has a number of independent full fibre networks building in the city, however, most homes are also served by mainstream Openreach and Virgin Media.

Almost all properties can access gigabit broadband, with the overall fastest average download speeds amongst residents around 140Mbps.

More rural towns and villages around Bristol also have good full fibre availability, with coverage from both Gigaclear and Truespeed in North Somerset.

Credit: Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock.com

Most popular broadband deals in Bristol

The majority of homes in Bristol can choose between Openreach full fibre broadband and Virgin Media's gigabit-capable cable broadband network.

Other networks are available, including Hyperoptic, Netomnia, Truespeed and 4th Utility, but availability is much more varied, with sometimes only one or two buildings connected.

As a result, the best broadband deals in Bristol are likely to come from mainstream providers reselling Openreach FTTP, which includes names like BT, Sky, Plusnet, Vodafone, and TalkTalk, or from Virgin Media.

Here are four of the best broadband deals available in Bristol:

	Package	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Rebel 115	115Mb average	£35	Free	24 months
	Offer: £60 Amazon Gift Card with code WIFIREBEL + Fixed Price Guarantee + Tri-band Wi-Fi extender £5/mth each
	Full Fibre 145	145Mb average	£27.99	Free	24 months
	Offer: £50 Reward Card + Save over £12/mth + No setup fee + Exclusive offers and discounts for Plusnet customers (Ends 01/01/2025)
	Full Fibre 100	150Mb average	£30.99	£11.99	24 months
	Offer: £50 BT Reward Card + Reduced price for 24 months + No activation fee save £20 (Ends 02/01/2025)
	Ultrafast 115	115Mb average	£28.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: £40 Gift Card

Precisely what's available will vary depending on your exact address in Bristol, so use our free postcode tool to check availability and find the best deals for you.

While most Bristol homes will be able to get speeds of up to 1Gbps, we've listed 100Mb - 150Mb deals here as this is the most popular broadband speed for customers taking full fibre broadband, according to Ofcom, with 39% of households opting for these plans.

There are also other lesser-known providers reselling full fibre broadband with Openreach, including Rebel Internet, Earth Broadband, Fibrely, and Your Co-op, which are also worth investigating, although prices aren't as competitive as with the big names.

Cheapest broadband in Bristol

We used the postcode BS3 4LJ, or Somerset Terrace, which is a residential street in Bedminster, Bristol, to check broadband availability and prices of the cheapest deals in the city.

Here are four of the cheapest broadband deals available in Bristol:

	Package	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Full Fibre 75	75Mb average	£22	Free	24 months
	Offer: Free setup
	Full Fibre 150	150Mb average	£25	Free	24 months
	Offer: £2 off for Vodafone pay monthly customers
	Full Fibre 75	75Mb average	£25	£5	24 months
	Offer: WiFi Max just £4/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable)
	M125 Fibre Broadband	132Mb average	£26.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: Reduced price: £26.99 per month + No setup fee (was £35)

In Bristol, over 68% of homes can get Openreach full fibre broadband, which means budget-friendly providers including NOW Broadband and Vodafone, as well as Sky, BT, Plusnet and TalkTalk are all available.

The cheapest broadband deal in Bristol is likely to be NOW Broadband's Full Fibre 75 plan, which is priced from just £22 per month for 24 months.

Other cheap broadband deals include Vodafone's Full Fibre 74 plan, and Sky's Full Fibre 75, both of which offer average download speeds of 73Mb and 75Mb respectively.

Because Bristol has wide availability for Virgin Media cable, with over 83% of homes passed in the city, their broadband is also an option, with their entry-level M125 Fibre Broadband plan currently costing from just £26.99 per month.

It doesn't cover all locations, but Hyperoptic's fibre to the building broadband is also available at properties dotted around Bristol. They also offer some of the cheapest broadband starting at just £17.99 per month.

While Bristol has pretty good blanket coverage of both full fibre and Virgin Media, exact availability at specific addresses could still vary, so use our free postcode tool and order by 'Lowest price' to find the cheapest deals for your home in Bristol.

How fast is broadband in Bristol?

The average download speed in Bristol ranges from 102.3Mb in the city centre, to 175.8Mb in the north east around Fishponds, while the overall average speed across the city is 139.6Mb. This is based on crowd sourced data from speed tests carried out in Bristol, including from our own free speed test tool.

Around 96 - 98% of all homes in Bristol are covered by either full fibre or Virgin Media's gigabit-capable cable network.

Further afield, in areas surrounding Bristol, some of which are much more rural, such as North Somerset, average download speeds are still good, at around 132.3Mb in Filton and Bradley, to 174Mb in North Somerset.

The average broadband speed in Bristol is good compared to the UK's current overall average of 153.8Mb down, and 50.6Mb up, according to the same data set from ThinkBroadband.

Bristol's fast broadband speeds are delivered by both full fibre and Virgin Media's cable network, with nearly universal coverage of gigabit broadband across the city.

Bristol benefits from full fibre coverage from Openreach FTTP, as well as from a number of independent full fibre networks including Hyperoptic, Netomnia, Truespeed, OFNL (sold by Direct Save Telecom), and small pockets of 4th Utility, Lila Connect, OGI and Run Fibre build.

Surrounding, more rural, areas of Bristol are also served by Gigaclear, such as Abbots Leigh, Failand, Leigh Woods, and Wraxall, as well as Yatton, Claverham and Cleeve in North Somerset.

CityFibre hasn't built in Bristol yet, but it is available in parts of nearby Bath, around Kingsway and Odd Down, Newbridge, Combe Park, and Weston, as well as in Midsomer Norton.

Fastest broadband deals in Bristol

Using the postcode BS3 4LJ, or Somerset Terrace, which is a residential street in Bedminster, Bristol, we can find out the fastest broadband available in the area.

The overall fastest broadband deal in BS3 4LJ, Bristol, is Vodafone's Pro II Full Fibre 1.6 plan, which offers average download speeds of 1.6Gb per second at peak times, coupled with average upload speeds of 105Mbps.

Second to this, is Virgin Media's Gig1 Fibre Broadband, which offers average download speeds of 1.13Gbps, and average uploads of 104Mbps.

Here are four of the fastest broadband deals available in Bristol:

	Package	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Pro II Full Fibre 1.6	1.6Gb average	£70	Free	24 months
	Offer: £4 off for Vodafone pay monthly customers
	Gig1 Fibre Broadband	1.13Gb average	£40.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: Reduced price: £40.99 per month + No setup fee (was £35)
	Gigafast 1000Mb	1Gb average	£40.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: £90 Gift Card
	Rebel 1000	1Gb average	£55	Free	24 months
	Offer: £100 Amazon Gift Card with code WIFIREBEL + Fixed Price Guarantee + Tri-band Wi-Fi extender £5/mth each

Availability at specific addresses could vary, so use our free postcode tool and order by 'Broadband speed' to find the fastest deals for your home in Bristol.

Summary: Who is the best broadband provider in Bristol

Bristol benefits from near universal gigabit broadband coverage thanks to building by Openreach FTTP, as well as Virgin Media's existing gigabit-capable cable network.

As a result, residents have a good choice of fast broadband from retailers including BT, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and NOW Broadband, which also means they can access very competitive pricing.

We looked at a residential location in Bristol and found the following:

• The cheapest broadband in Bristol is with: NOW Broadband for £22 per month, while some homes will be able to get Hyperoptic's £17.99 plan
• The fastest broadband in Bristol is with: Vodafone's Pro II Full Fibre 1.6 plan
• The best broadband with TV in Bristol is with: Virgin Media

Thanks to existing coverage by Virgin Media, Bristol residents can choose the provider if they want a fast broadband and TV bundle deal, with an optional home phone line.

Households who need to keep a home phone can also look to providers including Sky, Vodafone, and NOW Broadband who include line rental at no extra cost, while BT is also an option for an additional fee of £5 per month.

Those living in more rural locations around Bristol, into North Somerset, will also find good full fibre coverage from independent networks Gigaclear and Truespeed, as well as some Openreach build too.

Ultimately, residents should use our free postcode tool to see exactly what's available to them, and then order deals by price, special offer, broadband speed, or contract length, to find the deal that's right for them.