Spectrum Internet Refreshes ADSL, FTTC, FTTP and FoD Broadband

Cardiff-based ISP Spectrum Internet, which builds some of its own network and unbundles a few BT exchanges, has released a new range of broadband packages for businesses within its Wales and South West England network. It’s also one of the only ones to offer Fibre-on-Demand (FoD).

Apparently all of the new business broadband services come with a financially backed Service Level Agreement (SLA) and a guarantee to never increase your broadband or phone line subscription costs mid-contract.

Spectrum also claims to offer true unlimited data options across their catalogue and the ability to select any service as a “managed service” for busy customers who want their connection monitored 24/7.

On top of that customers looking to get the superfast Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) service can benefit from the provider’s promise of a £10 per month discount if the connection rate of 30Mbps isn’t achieved.

Giles Phelps, Spectrum’s Managing Director, said:

“I’m pleased to see our new packages which really compete well with the bigger ISP’s. We’ve gained a lot of new business broadband customers within the past few years and we’ve been listening to their needs, which is why they stay with us.”

As a quick example, Spectrum’s unlimited up to 80Mbps FTTC package for businesses costs from £49 +vat per month on a 24 month contract term (£150 installation) with an included wireless router and it’s the same price if you choose the same speed FTTP service (note: you have to add £16 +vat line rental on FTTP), although the faster FTTP packages can go up to 330Mbps and apply data caps.

Perhaps one of the most notable services is Spectrum’s FTTP-on-Demand (Fibre-on-Demand) product, which can be ordered by almost anybody who is within reach of a slower FTTC line (so long as the local exchange supports it). The difference with FoD vs Native FTTP is that you effectively have to pay for the line to be built to your property, which makes it quite expensive.

The FoD package offered by Spectrum offers an unlimited 330Mbps (30Mbps upload) service on a 36 month contract for £179 +vat per month. However the one-off connection fee for this starts from £1,599 and could go significantly higher if engineers need to do more work than expected when running the fibre optic cable into your home or office.

BTWholesale officially lifted the Stop Sell on FoD in March 2016 “following improvements in order handling and installation process,” although the product remains difficult to sell and you’d be hard pressed to find any other ISPs offering it.