This topic

Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:22:01 GMT

Hi, I live in the Scottish Highlands, Sutherland to be precise. I have an abysmal WIFI speed, it has recently got worse, and I don’t know why..

They recently, supposedly said Fibre was supposed to be available where I live (on a lane, on the side of a mountain), but I’ve not looked to see, properly, I’m on the Home Essentials package because I have Disabilities. What I wanted to know, is do I have to pay to get connected, because if I have to do I don’t think I could afford to. I live hand to mouth most weeks. But my copper wire wifi speed is much worse now. It was at 2Mbps. Now it’s barely making 1.5Mbps.

I’d fed up of having to put complaints in or registering faults..

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

gg30340 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:32:04 GMT

If you are a BT Broadband customer you do not pay to get upgraded to a BT Fibre package when it is available.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

gg30340 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:37:22 GMT

If you use this link to check it will show if Fibre is avaiable to you.

If the phone number checker doesn't work use the address checker which you will find by clicking on the small blue box with the three lines.

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:37:08 GMT

Is there a way to check? (I think I had flyers put through and an email sent to me, when it was available) but is there a way to check online? It would have to be via pole and line though, because the phone line doesn’t go underground here, it’s off telephone poles. Would that change things?

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

gg30340 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:38:36 GMT

See my last post.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

WSH — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:44:30 GMT

Just to be clear, I take it you mean your broadband speed?

Wi-Fi and broadband are not the same thing and you refer at the start of this thread to "Wi-Fi speed". Wi-Fi is the wireless system inside the house and can be poor even if the broadband internet connection to the router is good.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

gg30340 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:53:23 GMT

He did say "copper wire wifi speeds" and described where he lives so any Fibre connection will be an improvement.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

WSH — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:58:49 GMT

@gg30340 Yes, you’re probably right but I post on several forums and on the Sky forum in particular, they refer to Wi-Fi when they really mean the broadband connection.

Unfortunately, it is a growing trend and seems to be something Sky are encouraging.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

gg30340 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:09:44 GMT

That will be because a lot of devices now can only connect by wireless so that is "how it works". They probably have no idea or don't care how broadband gets to their house.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:16:19 GMT

Wifi and Broadband, it doesn't really matter in this case that much. 😜 I'm meant to get 3 Mbps. I doubt I'd get that even if I "wired" in. And I mostly use my iPad, so can't connect by a wire anyway... (Laptop needs fixed and its old now, in fact everything is old).

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:18:13 GMT

I'm a laydee. 👩🏻

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:41:23 GMT

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

licquorice — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:49:36 GMT

The checker shows fibre is available, just order it.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:03:11 GMT

What does “a new Ont” mean though?

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

licquorice — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:09:45 GMT

It's the fibre modem that Openreach fit as part of the install. You just need to order fibre from BT

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

WSH — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:38:22 GMT

ONT is Optical Network Terminal.

As Liquorice said, it’s the modem for a fibre connection and your router connects to that instead of the phone socket.

An engineer will come out to fit it. It goes on the wall where the fibre comes into the house. That does not necessarily need to be where the current phone line comes in but the ONT does need power, so it has to be within about 1.5m of a power socket.

He will discuss where to put it on the day; however, it has to be doable in the time and money budget allocated to the job. Fibre also can’t do very tight bends. It might be an idea to have two or three places in mind for where you want it to go in case your first choice isn’t doable.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

andydenyer — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 20:57:31 GMT

@Hevski77

You also asked "It would have to be via pole and line though, because the phone line doesn’t go underground here, it’s off telephone poles. Would that change things?".

The answer is 'no'. I've recently upgraded to full fibre, and the engineer just replaced the copper wire from the telegraph pole with a fibre one. Inside, he fitted the ONT (which other posters have explained is the modem you need), which he was able to place where the old BT phone socket was (and use the same hole in the wall that the copper one used to come through). The Home Hub is then connected to the ONT with an ethernet cable (BT sent me one of those a few days before the installation date).

The whole job was done in just over an hour and a quarter, and cost me nothing. In fact, I'm going to be paying less as, when I ordered the upgrade, I was able to select the Fibre 500 package at the same price I was currently paying for part fibre (FTTC), but renew my phone plan at £3.50 a month less than what I had been paying!

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:04 GMT

Oh that could be a problem, as it comes in next to a window, on a very thick stone wall, the phone socket is on the wall next to the window, on a window sill. And the plug socket is not that close to it I don’t think, more than 1.5m.. That could be problematic, as I don’t think I’d want it coming in anywhere else than where it currently comes in to. I mean the Broadband Router now stretches to the plug socket, but I don’t know how long the cable is on that, it’s long anyway.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

Hevski77 — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:16 GMT

I’d want the Home Essentials package still, I’m on Disability benefit. I used to pay £50+ a month, for a rubbish 1.5Mbps service, and I paid that for years, until I discovered I could get the Home Essentials package, I’m worried they will get rid of it, as I’d struggle to pay £50 now.

Re: Do you have to pay to get Fibre (I think to the box)?

WSH — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:46:31 GMT

It's quite acceptable to use an extension lead with a double socket, if you are happy with that. If the current line comes in through a window frame, that might be a problem as current practice is not to go through window frames.*

I can see your results from the checker now. (Images go into quarantine until a moderator releases them. Only the mods and the community leaders can see them in the meantime).

OH means overhead, (UG is underground), so it will come from the pole. Says no anticipated issues, meaning the survey does not expect any problems with the install. Next to WBC FTTP it also says 1 Stage, meaning the install will be done in one stage and one visit. (KCI 2 Assure means two stages, external work then the internal install).

*Edit: While I think about it, it might be worth mentioning that you can have up to 100m of cat 5e ethernet cable between the ONT and the router. That would be your responsibility, but cat 5e cable can be bought in supermarkets today and it's just a matter of plugging it in.