Vodafone UK Still Tackling Issue of 200Mbps FTTP Speed Caps
Some of Vodafone’s broadband ISP customers, specifically those covered by Openreach’s gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, have been unable to take a package faster than 200Mbps because of capacity problems, which for some of those affected has been going on for several years. But some issues are getting resolved.
We first reported on this issue in March 2022 (here), around 17 months ago, after a number of Vodafone’s fixed line customers – across various different locations – complained that nobody in their respective areas could take a package faster than 200Mbps (download) – despite the ISP normally offering plans that go up to 900Mbps. By comparison, other providers on the same Openreach network could offer faster speeds.
Vodafone eventually confirmed that there were indeed “small pockets of our network where speeds are sitting at 200Mbps“, which are locations where they’ve been “rolling out full speeds but have anticipated a delay in the capacity upgrade and chosen to deliver a smaller cable link to ensure that customers are able to get fibre (albeit up to 200Mbps – made clear to the customer) rather than only offer FTTC.”
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The Cablelink (Ethernet) solutions mentioned above are how Openreach provide data capacity for their full fibre and other connections (i.e. the connection between their fibre headend and an ISP’s equipment). It normally takes Openreach somewhere around 33-35 working days to install a new circuit like this.
In fairness to Vodafone, significant capacity issues like this normally tend to result in ISPs withdrawing related products from sale to new customers, until resolved. But in this case they instead opted to deliver a smaller cablelink to ensure that customers were able to get FTTP (albeit up to 200Mbps), rather than only offer the slow hybrid fibre FTTC (VDSL2) tiers. This is good.
Despite the ongoing issue for some areas, we were able to confirm that several of the locations raised to us last year did eventually get resolved. The problem is that some of those who were affected by that problem are still reporting the same issue, which is after nearly two years of waiting.
After chasing Vodafone, the operator has finally confirmed that the underlying issue in the locations identified has now been resolved, although the problem was that this hadn’t yet been reflected via their website, until we raised it.
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A Spokesperson for Vodafone told ISPreview:
“To confirm, we have been upgrading the network capacity for a number of years and I am pleased to say that Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband service is now available to over 12 million homes across the UK.
I have spoken to the technical team and can confirm the postcodes you have identified can get speeds of up to 900Mbps. We have now updated this to reflect across our website and also in the process of ensuring customers in these areas are aware of the upgraded service they can receive from us.”
We should point out that the above statement only applies to the specific examples we used, which means that there may still be other locations that are continuing to suffer from the same problem. If you’re in one of those areas, then please feel free to highlight the local postcodes so that we can bring them to Vodafone’s attention.
However, in our view, if a customer has been forced to wait this long for a fix that other ISPs manage to avoid, then it’s probably time to consider a switch.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and Linkedin.
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De110bq still missing after nearly 3 years I don’t think they’re going to fix it
Thanks Luna, I’ve confirmed that area is still impacted. I’ll raise this with Vodafone next week, as above we’ve been finding that the operator’s web team haven’t been keeping up with their engineering progress.
It’s not just Voda. I reported to Cuckoo that 100mbps was only showing on a 1000 circuit about 3 months ago. They said it was a BT DB issue which I am sure it is. But it must be complicated as it’s still not fixed. The agent was a bit flummoxed and said he would pass it on higher up.
Vodafone only offering OX11 9 area a 200Mbps speed despite receiving government grant to fund the network, the grant is only meant to be paid for a network capable of offering 1Gb minimum speed.
Ox118 , ox145 also have this issue. Lol. Can confirm ox51 and ox52 also have these issues.I moved and immediately went nahhh not again.
Typical Vodafone, was useless and overpriced when I used them for mobile and still useless now
I find their mobile offering fairly dissapointing but Vodafone’s FTTP service is pretty good. Id rather they limit customers to 200mbps (still fast enough for most) rather than accept users on insufficient backhaul. Though the fact it has taken so long and that they haven’t noticed the unavailability on their website till they were told is dissapoitning.
PL288QZ still limited to 200Mbps. I wasted over an hour on the phone to Vodafone as they sent me an online offer to upgrade from 74Mbps to 500Mbps which I accepted and which they confirmed. Unbeknown to me, they then cancelled the order without telling me when they realised they couldn’t deliver it.
I was talking to them two days ago and they couldn’t tell me when capacity will be increased.
Vodafone couldn’t even give me broadband at all. The online system kept sending me pre contract crap and I heard nothing further, yet my credit file was marked
I tried PL288QZ but couldn’t confirm the 200Mbps limit, so it may be specific to certain addresses within the area.
BT won’t give more than “full fibre 100” (actually 150 down) either. Since it’s a Cornish postcode and Cornwall got a lot of FTTP early on, I wonder if Peter is unlucky enough to have an ECI ONT?
PL28 8AF won’t even let you order broadband. It has full fibre lines however.
GU47 0PS limited to 200Mbps
I’ve seen this be a little hit and miss in my area, LU5 4UQ. However I’ve been on their 100 service nearly two years now which was the max at the time and probably in the last 6-8 months 200+ speeds have been made available
I am currently experiencing very similar issues with Plusnet. Brand new Openreach FTTP network installed early spring 2023 which included my property. I was on a very slow ADSL connection with Plusnet at the time, and was keen to adopt the new faster technology. Despite Plusnet not offering me any VOIP home phone, I ordered a broadband-only package from a selection which Plusnet offered me at the time. After a four month delay, the fibre connection was made a few weeks ago, and the system activated. I was very disappointed with the speed of this connection – less than 35mbps download – and Plusnet have been trying to address the issue ever since, as this was not the speed ordered, required and being paid for. Apparently, there is a ‘…capacity issue…’, according to updates from Openreach, the latest of which states that ‘… The Complex team have advised us that because of the logic used in the order journey it’s causing an exception due to a capacity issue…’. There has been no suggested or proposed solution and currently the issue appears to be just going round in circles!
Hi Mark Jackson.
It’s like this in fife too the Kennoway area I can only get up to 200 Mbps
Still showing as 200mb in my area even though I am currently with Sky on 900mb line.
Al10 8 – Hatfield
Hooray! Full Fiber 900 is available at FY54GR. We were previously limited to 200Mbps.
They just need to get a move on with IPv6 now!
Plenty of Openreach ISPs to choose from for ipv6.
Yes that’s fixed my area NP18, been stuck on 200mbps when I last checked a month or so back!
I’d love 200 meg right now…
Despite being London N7 8UF Vodafone still cannot deliver fttp and they cannot give even planning and for 2 years I’d had their flagship Gigacube service which rapidly simply degraded to 17mbs through dubious contention ratio settings my package was £200 monthly and they simply did not have staff capability to sort the matter out either. Use Vodafone if you simply need to get rid of money and don’t want a useable service
Thanks for all the example postcodes, although I do need full codes to check properly. I’ll relay these to Vodafone.
My post code area is KY85EL
Not even 200Mbps only 73Mbps available on Vodafone FTTP here in EX169JE….
HP5 1UE…website still showing gigabit speeds are available to order…does this qualify for compensation as VF have failed to activate the service?
Have a read of https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/216962/Industry-Code-of-Practice-for-Automatic-Compensation.pdf
If they gave an install date and missed it then yes, if they gave an install date and then offered an alternative service with that offer being declined probably not, but arguable.
Some of this story doesn’t ring true, to my ears.
Capacity doesn’t have anything to do with Cablelink orders.
OR’s Cablelink product basically comes in 2 flavours. One is used to connect external cabling to unbundled racks in BT Exchanges, like AltNets require to build their new Fibre networks. And the other connects one rack to another within the BT Exchange.
What has any of this got to do with Vodafone’s capacity to provide FTTP connections faster than 200Mbps? Nothing, as far as I can tell.
If the speeds offered by Vodafone are limited, it is far more likely that they have capacity issues on their core network, i.e. the connections from their unbundled racks in BT Exchanges to their Data Centres or within the Data Centres themselves.
I do not see this as a bottleneck in VF’s ability to offer higher bandwidth products.
Good ISPs would typically invest in 10Gb, 40Gb, 100Gb or 400Gb optical links (or multiples thereof) between DCs, exchanges etc. using DWDM. All of which is very expensive.
I would suggest that VF may have under invested in their core network capacity and have looked at peak data usage numbers across their network, but specifically within their Data Centres, and have taken the decision to limit the bandwidth offered within their broadband packages, rather than field substantial complains from customers and potentially fines from the regulator.
I believe that my guess at the cause of VF’s issue is backed up by the number and diversity of postcodes experiencing the same issue with Vodafone.
Capacity is relevant if you’ve no free, or any, 10G ports on your kit to take a 10G Cablelink 🙂
I suspect some of these areas were still using kit from Cable and Wireless / Bulldog days hence nothing with a port larger than a gig, and LAGs for aggregation.
I’ve gone from VF at 200Meg max, so could not go with chosen ISP who used Vodafone backhaul, then eventually they started offering 1GB (too late for me as gone elsewhere), not just checked again and back to 200Meg.
YO17 6RJ is also affected.
Sky/BT/etc offer 1Gig.
My post code is FK10 and we have the same issue, maximum speed capped to 200.
Same here for S64, we can get full 910mb from others yet Vodafone is stuck at 200mb max.
Full postcode is S64 5Wl
My Full postcode is S64 5Wl.
I am currently on with vodafone support – although it took over an hour to find a support route that anyone was available for – even though i picked the 24/7 pro support boradband because i have medical equipment reliant on internet connection.
The vodafone salesperson promised me at least 100mbps.
I am currently on 0.28mbps – have explained to vodafone that i am severely disabled, if i go to sleep without the machines being connected to the internet I will stop breathing, and their response – call back tomoorow.
apparently the 24/7 support was a lie.
the support person i spokek to was from regular broadband and he doesnt have the script to deal with FTTP.
They did try – but after running a basic line test they had no other tricks to try.
so i personally do not reccomend Vodafone for broadband becasue apparently lying is a standard – hinted at by the support person, because i made it clear to them, that i had made it clear tot he vodafone broadband salesperson at vodafon that i needed 24/7 support.
that is why i was happy to pay the extra.
all the medical devices together only need 8mbps – so the whole package was overkill – but the 24/7 support was needed as was the mobile back up