ISP Ogi Boost FTTP Broadband Speeds and Cuts Prices in Wales UPDATE
Welsh broadband ISP Ogi, which is deploying a multi-Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of South Wales, has today had a significant package refresh that means new customers will benefit from dramatically lower prices and some faster download speeds.
The network operator has so far covered a total of 100,000 premises with their new full fibre network – most of them residential – in Wales up to the end of 2023 (up from 60k on 30th June 2023) and they’re also now home to a total of over 10,000 customers (up from 6,000).
Until now new customers of this service would have been expected to pay from £30 per month for an unlimited plan with downloads of 150Mbps (15Mbps upload) and an included wireless router on a 24-month term, which then jump to £40 for 300Mbps (30Mbps) and £60 for a 900Mbps download (90Mbps upload). But in fairness, this was mitigated somewhat by the offer of 6 months free service.
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However, in a fairly bold move, the challenger brand – and the only full fibre broadband provider dedicated to Wales – has introduced three new speed packages, with entry-level prices that are lower than the cost of some older copper broadband (FTTC) services. On top of that, they’ve also scrapped the old 24-month terms for a shorter and less risky 12-month contract. Setup remains free.
Ogi’s Refreshed Broadband Packages
Ogi 200
200Mbps download speed (20Mbps upload), £15 monthlyOgi 400
400Mbps download speed (40Mbps upload), £20 monthly. Includes Amazon eero technology (worth £60).Ogi 900
900Mbps download speed (90Mbps upload), £30 monthly. Includes Amazon eero technology (worth £60).
Admittedly, the main weakness here are those upload speeds, but the prices do compensate for that and charging £30 for 900Mbps puts Ogi in league with some of the market’s cheapest alternative networks (Toob, B4RN, CommunityFibre etc.). No mean feat given that they’re also deploying in a lot of rural and semi-rural areas.
Sally-Anne Skinner, Ogi’s Chief Revenue Officer, said:
“With these new speeds and very competitive prices, we hope to once more stimulate market competition here in Wales. For too long communities have had to suffer poor speeds and eye watering prices. We’ve always said we’re here to change that – and once again we’re reflecting that in our offer to customers.
We’ve learnt a lot from the cost-of-living offer we launched back in 2022 – when 6 months free was a good deal for so many. But today, people want consistency, paying a lower standard price from the get-go is a great way to open up access to full fibre broadband services from day one.”
The provider also claims to have launched a new “7-day customer care service“, although their press release doesn’t elaborate on this. The ISP has also boosted its online self-help service, offering customers more ways to find support, when they might need it, but they didn’t provide any specifics on that.
UPDATE 9:14am
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After a bit of digging, we found Ogi’s price guide buried lower down on their T&Cs page. The document suggests that the post-contract price of their refreshed 200Mbps, 400Mbps and 900Mbps tiers will increase to £39, £49 and £69 respectively, when falling back to a standard rolling monthly plan. But customers that re-contract for 24-months will only pay £30, £40 or £60 respectively.
The same document reveals that customers of their 200Mbps and 400Mbps plans can optionally pay an extra £2 per month to double their upload speeds, while those on their 900Mbps tier can get symmetric speeds, but it’ll cost you £10 extra per month.
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, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Ogi have paused the builds in Pembrokeshire and the other areas have slowed down.
Is this price cut a way to generate more customers to make Ogi more attractive to investors due to lack of funds!!
Ogi’s aims to cover 150,000 premises in South Wales by 2025 seems unrealistic considering they have only covered 60,000 premises in 2.5 years They need to increase their build not slow it down to reach their target.
Even with 100% take-up their numbers would look poor.
210 employees for 10k customers is not good, and even for 60000 it wouldn’t look great.
The reality is that the altnets in Wales don’t stand a chance versus OR. Even if able to compete now, OR will eventually get everywhere whilst the altnets just won’t.
When all of the builds are complete, take-up is going to need to be above 50% in order to cover trading costs imo. I just don’t see this happening, even in areas where the alternative is not even super fast speeds.
My area might have been a candidate for the likes of OGI or Netomnia, but OR beat them to it with the use of subtended headends. Now that my own order is in, I don’t see it ever being switched to an altnet just due to the hassle involved with an installation.
Updated the premises passed figure just now to total 100,000 passed (up by 40k in the last six months). So at present, their rate of build is still increasing, although we’ll see if that trend holds to the end of 2024.
Agree with all these points.
OGI are in a pickle, this past year they have been desperately trying new strategies; be that pushing their OGI Pro business offering with their PIA build in Cardiff or scraping-the-barrel with offers like on black Friday and this price cut.
They’ve done PR around their severn crossing + trunk road build, photos at the Capacity expo etc. Seems like they don’t know who their target market is.. residential? business? carrier? throwing stuff and seeing what sticks.
Over committed on staffing, in some cases there are 3 managers between an engineer and the CEO.
I expect in the coming year they will struggle to make targets and Infracapital will start winding them in.
Assuming their trunk road concession and severn crossing build will be handed off to NEOS so they can take care of selling assets on these routes to other service providers. And the residential network engineering being merged into the mature model that Gigaclear (also in Infracapital family) have had deployed for years, rather than OGI attempting to do their own thing – take a look at what they have deployed in exchange cabs across south wales and you’ll see why.
Those upload speeds for FTTP are very poor. Id stick with OR if available instead in that situation and OR’s aren’t exactly over generous. I’d expect better from an ALTNET to show a better product than OR, they could probably even charge a bit more and still be competitive.
For £10 extra a month on any package you can get symmetrical upload speeds.
Read the article in full including any updates. For an extra £2 on the 200 and 400 packages you can get symmetrical speeds and on the 900 it’ll cost a extra £10. But I do agree they should really be sympathetic by now since that’s the standard with altnets these days.
@Ryan, please tell us that you see the irony in your comment…
The £2 a month grants you double the upload speed, not symmetrical.
AND Ryan, that bit about £2 extra for double the upload speed was added in an UPDATE section after I originally wrote so I did indeed read (the original post).
Before getting on your high horse with people………..
Openreach is urging people living and working in another 15 communities to get behind a bid to bring ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to local homes and businesses. Among those are Broadhaven, Carew, Dinas Cross and Lamphey in Pembrokeshire alongside Ferryside and Pendine in Carmarthenshire.
https://www.narberth-and-whitland-today.co.uk/news/early-ultrafast-christmas-gift-for-another-9000-rural-welsh-properties-including-pembrokeshire-656959
This new pricing is the same cost to customers as their 6 month free deal.
Old deal was £30 for 24 months, free for first 6 months, cost for customer for the first year £180
New deal £15 a month, cost to customer for first year £180.
After a year the customer would have to sign up for 24 months to keep the cost at the £30 (now 36 months in total)
Unless I am missing something?
Lol so not actually a price cut but instead it’s just a marketing switcheroo
The upside is that you now only have a commitment of 12 months and £180. At the end of that, you can leave – or threaten to leave unless they give you a better deal. Ogi have already paid the cost of pulling the fibre and providing the ONT, so it’s in their interest to keep you.
Honestly, it’s about time that broadband went the same way as insurance: it should be mandatory to offer the same deals to existing customers that you offer to new customers.
Yea this. I would gladly “re-contract” wit an existing provider for a new term, if I was happy with the service and could benefit from an equivalent “New Customer” offer.
We have had ogi for 2 years now in Haverfordwest, excellent service on my 900Mbps package. You people moaning about this and that will never be happy regardless of what you have in your local area. Ignore the moaners, highly recommend, the £15 for 200 Mbps is a steal as realistically that’s more than enough for a busy family!
Same here. I got the 900 pack in their black Friday sale. From purchase to installation took only 3 days. The connection has been solid ever since we’ve had it and we’re very heavy users.
I’m happy that you have ogi in your area. Residents in Tenby were expecting it to arrive shortly after the announcement last year that ogi were starting works now appears we wont be getting it anytime soon. Luckily bt are doing works now.
It is unlikely that those prices are economic. It appears to be trying to but market share and hope that they stay when the initial contract expires and their price is increase substantiality
The real reason is OGI have had there funding pulled and they are to complete what builds then have and then they need to look for a new money pit. There has been talk about trying to get funds off the Welsh government to try and keep them going.
Unfortunately by the time they find a new money pit all the people that built their network will no longer be around. Network plus staff that were employed from the local area will be out of work at the end of the month so will the subcontractors that physically built the network. There will be nearly 100 people affected by this that will be looking for work. Ogi will have trouble finding this experience in the local area if they start to build again.
Wow so much negativity on here. The thing is we all knew at some point altnets would stop building. Now that investment/money is more expensive (not just for altnets) it is logical that builds would slow or stop.
But having full-fibre is still a good asset. So what if altnets have to start making some money, it’s good business sense.
The time for throwing money at any investments, looking for ridiculous returns, based upon hope has moved aside for the moment. It’s about making money now and that’s not a bad thing.
So I hope OGI is simply looking for a return on its investment so far. That would be a good thing in my mind.
In my area If I has sent three letters out since last August stating a start date and still my road has not been cabled, Virgin, with their cut and cover have done most of this area in a month. The last letter stated they would be starting on 2nd January, guess what, no show. I am using Three’s 5g and modem at the moment, and get really good speeds but whether the reliability is there will have to be for the future.