ISP Home Telecom UK Spotted Selling Virgin Media Powered FTTP Broadband Plans UPDATE2
Some of ISPreview’s readers have spotted that internet provider Home Telecom, which is part of the wider Telecom Acquisitions (TAL) group that also has an established strategic partnership with TalkTalk, appears to be selling broadband plans that are “Powered by Virgin Media” (VMO2). But seemingly only in FTTP areas that have been built for nexfibre.
Just to recap. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners originally setup the new £4.5bn nexfibre joint venture in 2022 (here), which aims to deploy an open access fibre (FTTP / XGS-PON) network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT currently served by Virgin Media’s network of 16m+ premises (Virgin shares some of the same parentage). Nexfibre have already covered over 1.3m premises (here).
At present, Virgin Media is the only retail ISP selling packages over nexfibre’s network, although more providers are expected to be added in the future (here and here). In addition, Virgin Media’s own FTTP network will open up to wholesale via a new company – NetCo – in the future too (here), but that isn’t expected to happen until H1 2025.
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Suffice to say that we were a little bit surprised to find (credits to Daniel and Chris) that the availability checker on Home Telecom’s website had begun optionally returning results for packages “Powered by Virgin Media O2“, albeit seemingly only for addresses that have been built for nexfibre (we say “for” because nexfibre are utilising Virgin Media’s engineers to do the civil engineering).
As per the picture above, related addresses currently list a 400Mbps and 1000Mbps package at £42 and £50 per month, respectively. This appears to be offered on a 24-month minimum contract term and includes a router. Some additional upfront fees are also listed, such as a £10 installation fee, £20 for “priority booking” (it’s unclear why that’s included by default, as it sounds like it should be optional) and a router delivery fee of £9.95.
Naturally, we have shot off several messages in order to try and get an official clarification from the related parties, but our suspicion is that Home Telecom are either conducting a trial for a future product (one that has now been stumbled upon) or it’s simply an accident, albeit a curiously well-prepared and structured one. Either way, we should have the answer soon. But this could potentially be nexfibre’s first non-Virgin retail ISP partner.
UPDATE 3:52pm
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Thanks to our readers for helping to spot that the same packages also show up in some, albeit not all, of Virgin Media’s RFOG and Hybrid Fibre Coax areas. This seems far too soon for NetCo and so is more likely to be a mistake on Home Telecom’s part, but we await something more concrete to clarify. The fact the ability exists at all to show such packages is interesting.
UPDATE 4:23pm
Virgin Media has confirmed there isn’t a wholesale arrangement with their side, although they’re still investigating. But we have been given a hint from elsewhere that it might be more of a retail level / commission-based arrangement. Currently, we probably won’t get the full context until everybody is back at work on Monday.
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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They show up for me in a HFC area?
Interesting, they didn’t for my testing. Can you share a postcode?
I think their website is just showing incorrect information.
For me it shows “Freedom Fibre 100” but we don’t have Freedom Fibre here. It also shows 2 VMO2 based packages but we are a HFC area.
@mark It also shows up for me in a Virgin HFC area in the North East.
dropped you an email with it
Same here HFC available, pinged you a message on Linkedin Mark
I think their system is messed up.
I just checked the address of someone who can’t get FTTP via TT/BT but Home Telecom is offering it to them.
My postcode shows up and it’s a Rfog. I was under the impression Rfog wouldn’t be opened to wholesale.
My address which currently has Virgin Media FTTP (UPP/Nexfibre) area is showing VM packages.
I would have thought Sky would have been one of the first given their existing relations with VMO2 and the fact they use already VM in IE as an access provider (along with a few other providers) to sell FTTP
VM HFC in my area too showed up.
Its currently £40.99 with VM direct for GIG1 with free hub and self install, yet £50 plus additional charges on Home Telecom site. Price increase formula on the page says package will increase by £3 every March, yet VM still currently have RPI + 3.9% as VM not done a change yet.
Why it say freedom fibre available in my area with speed up to 900Mbps (I think it was big mistake) there is no freedom fibre in my area at all. I checked post code via this site found nothing https://availability.freedomfibre.com/coverage
https://i.ibb.co/SfGrn3Z/Screenshot.png
Yep, VM HFC customer here, I am seeing the same too. BH6 area, southern coast near Bournemouth, but I don’t have full-fibre installed on the street yet. Have those same two offers displayed, plus Freedom Fibre 100 as someone else mentioned.
I wonder who would be responsible for customer service and tech support on these? The service is more expensive than going with Virgin directly so I don’t see the appeal of this.
Customer service for the network is provided by Virgin Media Business. Billing enquires is handled by Home Telecom 🙂
Yuck, I wouldn’t go there with a barge pole. Had to exit everything that was Eclipse when they bought it.
Showing as available in Sheffield, I’m still on HFC however VM have pulled (blown?) fibre here.
https://www.hometelecom.co.uk/
WF93TF
Virgin at this postcode.
Yeah, this must be a glitch/error. It’s showing both Freedom Fibre (100mbit) and VMO2 FTTP (500/1G) for my address. We have neither of those available, only ADSL2 (EO so no FTTC) and VM HFC.
Yeah I noticed this a while ago when checking my postcode on their site.
Just checking my postcode again shows the Virgin Media services (were in a Nexfibre XGSPON area) as well as Openreach based TalkTalk, Full Fibre Fibre Heroes and Freedom Fibre packages.
Not sure why its showing Freedom Fibre packages as we cant get Freedom Fibre here so not sure how accurate or trustworthy this provider is?
There is no 400mb VM Broadband, and their 1gig is named Gig1
So the packages are wrong.
Not sure how they could have sold 18 last week of something that doesn’t exist 😀
Hi JW! As a customer of this plan I’m trying to provide the info that people would love to know about this. The Home Telecom Virgin packages are provided by Virgin Media Business. Their business brand does indeed offer a 400Mbps service 🙂
It comes up in my area too, but it is laughably expensive,… £50 for 1g up and down, powered by VM, even though there’s no nexfibre in my area, so not sure how that works…. I can get 2.3gb/s for the same price on Cityfibre
The checker is a little bit incorrect with it’s statement of “Full Fibre”. I signed up to Home Telecom’s Virgin package knowing full well I’m in a HFC location and I received just that.
Hi Mark! I’d love to provide useful information regarding this as I actually took this product last month and recently had it installed.
For me personally it was not FTTP. It was a HFC product however it still displayed as “Full Fibre via their postcode checker”
This service is provided via Virgin Media Business (Not their consumer brand). I was provided a Virgin Media Business self install kit with the new Hitron Chita router and off I was with their gig1 broadband via Coax.
You are correct that the service is not a wholesale agreement. It seems more like Home Telecom are paying them directly to install the service at a certain property and you are paying Home Telecom for your bill. I suspect this as I’m being billed by Home Telecom not Virgin Media Business directly.
The Virgin Media Business account created is not in your own name. It comes in the name of Telecom Acquisitions LTD (The company behind Home Telecom and others).
Another thing I also find interesting is the company you deal with. Home Telecom handle all your billing enquiries as they send you out your invoice. However if you have a network issue you will contact Virgin Media Business. Home Telecom can provide you your account reference to speak to them and you must confirm the business name is as stated above.
Like you I was also very intrigued about the whole install process to see how a provider reselling Virgin Media works but that is the process.