ISP Vodafone UK Launch Unlimited 5G and Fixed Broadband Bundle

Mobile operator and ISP Vodafone UK has today launched their new triple-play “Together” bundle, which combines a fixed line phone service with unlimited home broadband (FTTC / VDSL2) and 5G based mobile broadband data into a single package from £31 per month. You also get the same router as their FTTH packages.

At present both of Vodafone’s FTTC based 35Mbps and 63Mbps (average speed) home broadband packages, which include phone line rental, an 18 month contract term, unlimited usage and a wireless router, are oddly being offered for the same monthly price of just £23. No setup fees are applicable (unless you need a new phone line installed from scratch).

Under Vodafone Together customers essentially add a 1GB 5G SIM to this for an extra £11 per month (total bundle price of £31), which rises to a total price of £35 for a 5GB SIM, £40 for a 20GB SIM, £43 for an unlimited lite data SIM (max speed of 2Mbps), £46 for an unlimited SIM (max speed of 10Mbps) or £50 per month when combined with the top unlimited max SIM (maximum network speed possible).

As expected new customers will also receive a free Amazon Echo Plus and can use Alexa calling to make and receive calls out of their mobile allowances. The bundles also include a Stay Connected Promise, which means that if your home broadband “ever lets you down we’ll help you stay connected with a 50GB boost to all the mobile plans on the same account” (this is on top of their current speed guarantee).

Customers also benefit from a further 15% discount for any additional mobile plans added to the account (useful for families or households with multiple mobile plans). For £6 more on 20GB, Unlimited or Unlimited Max plans, a choice of entertainment partner can also be added (i.e. you can choose from Spotify Premium, Amazon Prime Video, Sky Sports Mobile TV and a Now Entertainment Pass).

Max Taylor, Consumer Director Vodafone UK, said:

“It’s exciting to be launching another game changing product with Vodafone Together – the UK’s first 5G mobile and broadband bundle. The free Amazon Echo Plus is the perfect partner for Vodafone Together, allowing customers to make even more use of their free mobile minutes. With our world first Alexa calls and Vodafone OneNumber, landline calls really will become a thing of the past.”

The new Vodafone Together bundles also come with 24/7 live chat support online or via the My Vodafone App. Plus customers will now be able to discuss or order both home broadband and mobile plans by visiting any one of the operator’s 400 plus UK retail stores. By the end of this year, an additional 20 new Vodafone or Vodafone franchised partner stores will open.

Vodafone are the first UK operator to launch a 5G and fixed line broadband bundle like this and the fact their 5G service doesn’t cost more than the existing 4G tiers is another bonus. The downside is that you’ll also need a new 5G phone or mobile router/modem to benefit and at present the network coverage of 5G remains tiny.

UPDATE 1:37pm

One additional change that should be noted is with the bundled broadband router. Vodafone have decided to give their FTTC broadband customers the same router as they now supply on their Gigafast FTTH network with Cityfibre, which is quite a solid piece of kit.

The BCM63138 chipset inside this device packs a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor and Broadcom suggests that the USB ports may have support or mobile broadband dongles too.

Gigafast Broadband Router Specification

Dimensions:
275 x 170 x 70 mm

Colours:
Vodafone brand Grey

Chipset:
BCM63138

Ports:
1 x ADSL/VDSL/g.fast (RJ-11)
4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ45)
1 x Gigabit Ethernet WAN (RJ45)
2 x FXS for analogue phones, fax, pos (RJ11)
2 x USB 2.0

Wi-Fi:
WiFi 11ac: 5GHz 4×4 / 11n: 2,4GHz 3×3 dual band concurrent with MIMO and beam forming
2.4 GHz: BCM4360.2, 3×3
5 GHz: BCM4366e, 4×4

Memory:
256 MB NAND Flash / 512 MB DDR3

Networks:
Fibre GPON (via GE WAN port) ; ADSL2+ / VDSL2 (35b) / g.fast (+8dBm)

Features:
SIP voice for analogue phones