Broadband in Manchester

There’s no one best internet provider in Manchester that suits everyone. It’s likely to depend on what matters most to you – like how fast you want your broadband to be and how much you’re willing to pay.

Availability of WiFi in Manchester will also depend on where you live and whether the area has access to high-speed services. Another decision to make is whether you want a broadband-only service or a bundle. A package that includes your home phone, mobile and TV services could be the best option for you.

Greater Manchester is served by all the main broadband providers, including:

Virgin Media

Virgin Media runs on its own cable network and is one of the few providers to offer broadband, TV, home phone and mobile bundles.It delivers some of the fastest broadband speeds in Manchester, ranging from 132 Mbps (megabits per second) to 1,130 Mbps.

BT

As the UK’s largest broadband provider, BT offers a wide range of packages to people who live in Manchester. Average download speeds range from 36 Mbps to 900 Mbps for full-fibre broadband.You can also bundle your broadband with your home phone plan. And you can add an EE TV package to your deal that includes a range of channels, including TNT Sports.

Sky

Sky offers full-fibre broadband speeds up to 900 Mbps. Its TV packages make a huge range of entertainment, film and sports channels available to subscribers.If you’re a Sky Mobile customer, you could benefit from data-free streaming to watch Sky channels on the go.

TalkTalk

TalkTalk is known for its reasonably priced broadband, with speeds ranging from 38 Mbps to 944 Mbps. An award-winning Amazon eero router is included in its fastest full-fibre plans.You can get broadband-only deals, or add call plans and a TV subscription to full fibre packages offering over 70 channels and access to streaming apps, such as Netflix and NOW.

Vodafone

Vodafone’s plans include full fibre broadband with speeds of up to 910 Mbps, plus a landline and no set-up fees.If you’re already a Vodafone mobile customer, you can enjoy a discount on the monthly cost of your broadband.

Other broadband providers in Manchester

Some smaller providers also operate in and around Manchester. These include Hyperoptic, which has been running in the city since 2014. It provides some of the fastest speeds around and rates very highly for customer service.

Rochdale-based Zen Internet is a popular local provider that also scores well for customer service.

The average fixed broadband download speed in Manchester is 118 Mbps, according to Speedtest.net. This compares with a national average of 106 Mbps. (Correct as of April 2024.)

Connection speeds continue to improve in Greater Manchester. Salford is one of the areas that has benefited the most from investment in the region. This is largely thanks to MediaCityUK being located here. It’s home to the BBC, ITV and Kellogg’s, plus more than 250 smaller media and digital businesses.

Stockport has the fastest broadband in the area, being one of the first locations to benefit from the Get Digital Faster programme. This has delivered superfast broadband to the area through fibre-enabled street cabinets. It has also increased access to gigabit speeds.

Gigabit-capable internet is available to 85% of homes in Manchester, but the speed your own household could get will depend on a few factors, including:

• The area you live in – the differences in broadband speed can vary from block to block and even street to street.

• Your internet provider – some providers promise speeds up to 1 Gbps, but not everywhere can get these yet.

• How your home is connected – while ultrafast fibre broadband is being rolled out in the region, copper wire still prevails in some places, which is slower than fibre.

You can get broadband in a few ways:

• FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) – speedy fibre is cabled up to your nearest street cabinet, but the last part of the system is still copper wire. This option should give you faster speeds, but it still isn’t quite as fast as full fibre. Many fibre deals currently use this technology, so it’s worth checking if it’s available to you.

• FTTP (fibre to the premises) – this offers you an even faster option with fibre running all the way into your home.

• HFC (Hybrid fibre coaxial, also known as cable broadband) – Virgin Media’s network is delivered into your home using coaxial cable. It offers some of the fastest speeds available.

To see what options are available for your home, just pop in your postcode and select your current provider.

Broadband costs vary from provider to provider and are based on a few factors, including:

To find the right broadband deal for your household, simply enter your postcode into our broadband comparison tool and choose your current provider (if you have one) from the dropdown list.

We’ll show you what deals are available for where you live. We’ll list all the essential package details you need, including:

• Length of contract

• Monthly charges

• Line rental

• Average speeds

• Connection costs

• Any extras or freebies on offer.

It’s a good idea to start checking out possibilities before your current deal comes to an end so you’re ready to switch if you find a better deal.