Full Fibre Altnets vs Openreach: Which Is Faster? (Real UK Speed Data)

Over the past few years, dozens of independent companies have dug up UK streets to lay their own full-fibre cables. They're known in the industry as altnets (alternative networks), and many households now have a choice between one of them and the familiar names that sell broadband over Openreach.

Are altnets actually faster? We compared thousands of real speed tests from customers of both. The short version: altnet customers get much faster results on average, but most of that is down to everyone on an altnet having full fibre. Compare full fibre with full fibre and download speeds are similar. Upload speeds are not.

What Is an Altnet?

Most UK broadband brands, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, EE, Plusnet, Vodafone and Zen, rent lines from Openreach, the BT Group company that runs the national phone and broadband network. Whether you get part fibre (FTTC) or full fibre (FTTP) from them depends on what Openreach has built at your address. Virgin Media runs its own separate cable and fibre network.

Altnets are everyone else who builds their own full-fibre network. Some sell directly to you, such as Community Fibre in London, Hyperoptic in apartment buildings, Gigaclear in rural England, toob, Trooli, BRSK and Fibrus. Others are mainly wholesale networks that other providers sell over: CityFibre is the largest, with retail partners including Vodafone, TalkTalk and Zen. YouFibre sells over the Netomnia network.

One quirk affects the data: a speed test sees the company that owns your IP address, which is your retail provider. So a Vodafone customer on CityFibre shows up as Vodafone, not CityFibre. That's why CityFibre has only a handful of tests of its own in our data, and why Vodafone and Zen results mix Openreach and CityFibre lines.

Altnets vs Openreach: The Headline Numbers

Altnets: YouFibre, toob, BRSK, Community Fibre, Fibrus, Trooli, Gigaclear, Hyperoptic, Vision Fibre Media, Full Fibre, AllPoints Fibre, Grain Connect, Fibrenest, F & W Networks, CityFibre and Box Broadband. BT figures also include some EE and Plusnet customers, who share BT's network addresses.

On the raw numbers, the median altnet test downloaded five times faster than the median BT, Sky or TalkTalk test and uploaded eight times faster. Nearly two-thirds of altnet tests hit 300 Mbps or more; only about a quarter of BT, Sky and TalkTalk tests did.

That isn't a fair fight, because a large share of BT, Sky and TalkTalk customers are still on part fibre: 15% of their tests came in under 30 Mbps. So we narrowed it to tests that downloaded at 500 Mbps or more, which are almost all gigabit-class full fibre or top-tier cable:

Like for like, the download gap all but disappears: 786 Mbps versus 773 Mbps. The upload gap is the real difference. Gigabit-class altnet tests uploaded at a median of 373 Mbps; Openreach full fibre and Virgin Media cable both clustered around 100 Mbps. If you work from home with big files, stream, or back up to the cloud, that matters far more than the download headline. Our upload speed guide explains why.

Median Speeds by Provider

Every provider with at least 20 tests, ordered by median download. Provider names link to full results.

Download and upload in Mbps, ping in ms. Small samples (under about 50 tests) can move noticeably from month to month.

A few things worth drawing out:

• Every altnet in the table beat BT, Sky and TalkTalk on median download and upload, including the two at the bottom of the altnet range, Fibrus and Hyperoptic.
• Gigaclear's upload (330 Mbps) is close to its download (411 Mbps), a sign of symmetric packages, and a strong result for a network built mainly in rural areas.
• Hyperoptic's lower median probably reflects package mix and in-flat Wi-Fi rather than its network. We can't see which package a tester pays for.
• Fibrus had the highest ping of the group (54 ms). Its customers are mainly in Northern Ireland, and the longer route from there to the servers that handle most tests may add some latency. Its download and upload are still well ahead of BT, Sky and TalkTalk.
• The smaller Openreach ISPs (Zen, IDNet, ICUK) post high download medians because their customers skew towards enthusiasts on gigabit full fibre, but their uploads stay around 100 Mbps, the Openreach pattern.

Why Altnets Test Faster

1. Every altnet customer has full fibre. Choosing BT or Sky tells you nothing about your line; choosing an altnet guarantees FTTP. That alone explains most of the headline gap. See full fibre vs part fibre.
2. Symmetric upload. Many altnets sell plans where upload equals download. Openreach's full-fibre products and Virgin Media's cable network are asymmetric, which is why the upload gap survives a like-for-like comparison.
3. Faster default packages. Altnets compete on price per megabit, so customers often end up on 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps plans for what an Openreach-based provider charges for less.
4. Newer networks with fewer users. Many altnet networks are only a few years old and still filling up, which may help at busy times. That advantage could narrow as they gain customers.

If you're deciding whether the speed is worth having, our guide to whether you need gigabit broadband is a useful reality check.

The Catches With Altnets

• Patchy coverage. An altnet may cover one side of a street and not the other, or a new estate but not the village around it.
• A new installation. Moving to an altnet means an engineer fitting a new fibre line and termination box. Moving away later may mean another installation with your next provider.
• Smaller companies. The sector has seen mergers and some failures. Customers have generally been kept connected when altnets change hands, but it's reasonable to prefer an established network for a long contract.
• Fewer extras. Some altnets offer limited TV bundles, and router quality and customer service vary more than with the big brands.
• Phone lines. Landlines on altnets are digital (VoIP), as they will be on Openreach once the copper network is switched off. Check whether you can keep your number and whether any alarms or care devices need it.

How to Check if an Altnet Covers You

1. Use each altnet's own postcode checker. Comparison sites don't always list every small network, so check the ones active in your region directly, then pick your exact address, not just the postcode.
2. Check wholesale networks too. CityFibre's and Netomnia's checkers will tell you which retail providers sell on their lines at your address.
3. Use Ofcom's broadband and mobile coverage checker, which shows the networks available at your address.
4. Look around your street. New poles, narrow trenches in the pavement, small grey cabinets and leaflets about "building in your area" usually mean an altnet is on the way. Register interest so you hear when it goes live.
5. In a flat, ask the landlord or managing agent. Networks such as Hyperoptic and Community Fibre need a building agreement (a wayleave) before they can install.

You can also see which providers our testers use in your area on our town pages, for example London or Manchester. When you're ready to move, our switching guide covers One Touch Switch and avoiding a gap in service.

FAQ

Is Virgin Media an altnet?

Not usually. It runs its own network independent of Openreach, but it's normally treated as a separate category because it's a long-established national operator with a mostly cable network. In our data its download speeds sit between the altnets and BT, Sky and TalkTalk, while its upload sits close to Openreach full fibre.

Is CityFibre an altnet?

Yes, it's the largest. But you usually buy CityFibre-based broadband from a retailer such as Vodafone, TalkTalk or Zen, and speed tests show the retailer's name, so CityFibre customers are spread across those providers in our data.

Are altnets faster than BT full fibre?

On download, about the same like for like: 786 Mbps for altnet tests over 500 Mbps against 773 Mbps for BT, Sky and TalkTalk. On upload, usually much faster: 373 Mbps against 105 Mbps in the same comparison.

Are altnets reliable?

Full fibre is inherently more reliable than copper, whoever runs it. Differences between providers come down more to fault response and customer service. Read recent reviews for your area, and check the provider's page on our site for how its results vary.