Hyperoptic launch new ultrafast broadband package

The new package is available for £38 for a minimum term of 12 months, then rising to £50 per month.

Options for rolling contracts with 500Mb fibre are also available, along with the option to add a home phone service.

While Hyperoptic are best known for their 900Mb broadband, their slower fibre deals are popular with those looking for no-contract fibre.

© Hyperoptic

Ultrafast speeds

Prior to this announcement, Hyperoptic offered three broadband packages: Fast, Superfast and Hyperfast offering 50Mb, 150Mb and 900Mb.

Now they're adding Ultrafast to their line-up which offers the same benefits as Superfast but with faster speeds targeted towards larger households with plenty of gadgets.

As well as 500Mb average speeds, Ultrafast customers will also receive symmetrical upload speeds, unlimited data usage and a free Hyperhub. No activation costs are necessary.

A 12-month minimum contract with broadband only is £38 per month, although that rises to £50 once the 12 months are up. To add a home phone to that brings the total to £40 now and £53 after the minimum term.

Hyperoptic are one of the few fibre broadband providers who offer no-contract rolling broadband, and that's also available with Ultrafast.

No-contract Ultrafast broadband only costs £39 per month and can be cancelled with 30 days' notice. Adding a home phone line to that takes the cost up to £42 per month.

It's also worth noting there's a £20 activation fee payable for the monthly rolling option, although that might be a small price to pay for some customers wanting the flexibility of no-contract fibre.

Read our review of Hyperoptic here.

Bridging the gap

Hyperoptic's decision to launch Ultrafast fills the large gap between Superfast at 150Mb and Hyperfast at 900Mb.

Just like Virgin Media have M350 and M500 alongside their recent Gig1 package, Sky are gradually rolling out their ultrafast services with speeds of 145Mb and 285Mb.

So, Hyperoptic are targeting households who want more than 150Mb but are unwilling to go all the way up to 900Mb, whether that's for cost reasons or simply because it seems like more speed than they could ever use.

This move follows their decision to boost the speeds of their basic Fast broadband package from 30Mb to 50Mb in August.

Who are Hyperoptic?

The major problem for prospective customers of Hyperoptic is that it isn't yet widely available as they expand on a block by block basis in cities and towns.

Figures suggest they can reach 400,000 premises as things stand, with the aspiration to hit 2 million by 2022 and then to reach 5 million by 2025.

What this means, however, is that many customers who want to access ultrafast speeds of more than 300Mb won't be able to access Hyperoptic now, and it may take a while to reach them.

So, while this bridge between their Superfast and Hyperfast broadband packages is welcome, Hyperoptic's Ultrafast is still a niche product which might look nice on paper but is ultimately unobtainable for many.

As mentioned above, though, there are other ultrafast options available from the likes of Virgin Media and Sky, plus other more localised broadband providers. So, if ultrafast broadband is the goal, be sure to shop around.

See what speeds are available in your area and what deals are on offer using our free broadband comparison tool.