Vodafone Features
Vodafone Broadband UK
Vodafone have extensive experience in connectivity dating back to their first mobile phone call in the UK back in January 1985. Vodafone now operate in 22 countries and provide fixed broadband in 17 markets. In 2020, Vodafone reported 18 million mobile and 0.8 million fixed broadband customers in the UK. Vodafone are currently the largest mobile and fixed broadband operator in Europe.
Vodafone moved into the home broadband market in October 2015. In 2019 they made the decision to stop supporting ADSL (Standard Broadband). Now Vodafone only sells and supports fibre broadband packages. It’s an unusual move, but Vodafone fibre broadband is so price competitive, it’s cheaper than some competitors' legacy ADSL packages. So, if you’re still encumbered by an ADSL line, Vodafone fibre broadband is definitely worth investigating.
Vodafone Superfast Fibre
As well as their new Gigafast broadband (which currently has limited availability outside of key cities), Vodafone offer 2 additional fibre broadband FTTC (Fibre to the cabinet) packages with optional extra features. In-contract price rises may occur, but can be avoided if you select a package which includes the ‘Extra Plan’.
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Vodafone Superfast 1: 35Mbps average download speed & line rental included
Vodafone Superfast 2: 63Mbps average download speed & line rental included
Both Superfast packages offer an ‘Extras Plan’ which currently costs an additional £8 per month and includes the following:
Free 4k Apple TV box with 12 months subscription, unlimited Anytime calls to standard UK landlines & mobiles and a 'no in-contract price rise' guarantee.
Vodafone Gigafast
900Mbps average download & upload speed. Currently, Vodafone Gigafast is available via Cityfibre's FTTP (Fibre to the premises) 1Gbps network in the following selected cities: Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Cambridge, Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Peterborough, Southend-On-Sea and Stirling.
A deal agreed with Openreach in August 2020 means that Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool residents will soon be able to access Vodafone’s Gigafast broadband too, via Openreach's 1Gbps network.
Vodafone broadband router (Wi-Fi Hub)
A free Vodafone Wi-Fi Hub router is included with any broadband package - and it's a great bit of kit! It supports dual-band Wi-Fi, including 802.11ac and offers four Gigabit Ethernet ports for any wired devices. The Vodafone router also supports beamforming Wi-Fi to maximise signal strength via it's 7 built-in aerials. The Vodafone Wi-Fi Hub can be controlled via an impressively clever app. You can take control of the Wi-Fi and set custom times when you want to limit access. You'll get a visual display of all of the devices that are connected at any time. You can set up a private guest network at the flick of a switch or block any devices you don't recognise.
Ever wished you could prioritise your broadband speed? Now you can! 'Boost your device speed' lets you prioritise the speed of any device on the network - perfect for when your work laptop is simultaneously competing against an Xbox and YouTubeHD! Vodafone also don’t use any traffic management, so your broadband speed will not be artificially slowed down during peak periods.
Vodafone homephone
As with all broadband providers, Vodafone broadband packages include phone line rental. But, by default, Vodafone don't include evening and weekend calls. An 'Evening and Weekend' call plan can be added on for £4 per month or an "Anytime Landline & Mobile' call plan for £8 extra per month.
Vodafone Broadband Deals
We regularly have access to exclusive offers with Vodafone e.g. £100 gift voucher for new customers. Currently, new and existing Vodafone 'pay monthly' mobile customers will receive up to £3 per month off any home broadband package.
Vodafone broadband customer service
Vodafone broadband had a rather disappointing customer complaints score in Ofcom's 2019 annual report. They received more than double the industry average of broadband complaints (115 complaints per 100K customers). Vodafone also fell short on their landline phone service. Sky and EE received the least amount of complaints in 2019. But, despite the disappointing customer complaints score the reality is that less than 0.2% of customers are dissatisfied. Taking into account the features and price point of their products, we would still recommend Vodafone broadband.
Vodafone broadband customer rights
It’s good to know that Vodafone are one of the broadband providers that have signed up to Ofcom’s 'Broadband speed voluntary code of practice'. In reality, this means that Vodafone will provide you with a clear estimate of the broadband speed which you're likely to achieve. You will also be advised of the minimum guaranteed speed before you sign up. If your broadband falls below your guaranteed speed and Vodafone do not resolve it within 28 days, you have the right to cancel your contract without penalty.