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TalkTalk Fibre 35 is the provider's cheapest part-fibre broadband package and is available to around 97% of UK homes where full fibre has yet to be rolled out.
Fibre 35 offers average download speeds of 38Mbps at peak times, and bundles a home phone line with pay as you go calls, and an optional 4K Netgem-powered TV box.
Overall, while Fibre 35 is a good budget option for smaller households, most will benefit from the upgrade to Fibre 65 at just £1 more per month.
At a glance
| Price | £28 |
|---|---|
| Setup cost | £4.95 |
| Minimum term | 24 months |
| Out of contract price | £28 after 24 months |
| Annual price increase | CPI + 3.7% in April |
| Download speed | 38Mbps |
| Upload speed | 9Mbps |
| Usage allowance | Unlimited |
| Router | TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub |
| WiFi guarantee | Not available |
| Parental controls | TalkTalk HomeSafe |
| Home phone | Included |
| Anytime calls | From £12/mth (inc. UK mobiles) |
| TV | £5 per month |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Wide availability across the UK | Only £1 to upgrade to faster Fibre 65 |
| TalkTalk's cheapest broadband plan | Cheaper plans available from rival providers |
| Optional 4K TV service | |
| Includes home phone line |
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Fibre 35 | 38Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
|
TV Hub + Fibre 35 | 38Mb average | £31 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: NOW Cinema just £4.99 for 12 months (was £9.99) + NOW Boost free + Free setup and P&P | |||||
Who is TalkTalk Fibre 35 best suited for?
TalkTalk's Fibre 35 package is an entry-level part-fibre deal that's ideally suited to small households where just one to five devices are connecting at the same time.
While the connection is capable of allowing customers to shop and work online, as well as stream TV in HD, and possibly even 4K, it might struggle if another member of the household was also trying to go online at the same time.
Therefore, TalkTalk Fibre 35 is most suitable for:
- Smaller households with average Internet use, including streaming TV
- Where working from home, streaming TV, or gaming activities aren't competing with another Internet user
- People looking for a low-cost broadband option, especially those who want to bundle a NOW TV Membership plan
- Areas where full fibre broadband from Openreach and CityFibre is not yet available
Overall, Fibre 35 performs well in independent speed tests against similar packages from rival providers BT and Plusnet. However, on price, TalkTalk Fibre 35 is more expensive than equivalent deals from Plusnet and Sky.
That said, when the bundled TalkTalk TV service is taken into account, customers can save more with exclusive discounts on NOW TV Memberships, including half price on NOW Entertainment, and NOW Boost included for free.
Ultimately, TalkTalk Fibre 35 is a good choice for those who want a cheap broadband deal with the option to bundle premium TV content. However, the upgrade to Fibre 65 is worth serious consideration as it costs just £1 extra a month, but almost doubles the download speed.
Check availability and prices in your area on our TalkTalk deals page.
What does TalkTalk Fibre 35 offer?
Fibre 35 is an entry-level part-fibre package offering average download speeds of 38Mbps at peak times.
The plan comes with a home phone line and pay as you go calls, with the option to upgrade to anytime or evening & weekend calls. Customers also get a dual-band WiFi 5 router, and the option to bundle a TV service.
Here are the latest prices for TalkTalk Fibre 35:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Fibre 35 | 38Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
Customers of Fibre 35 will get access to TalkTalk HomeSafe, which offers network-level security and parental controls, and can be used to control access to age-restricted content as well as online times, and virus alerts.
It's also possible to upgrade to Supersafe Security, a separate software subscription which protects up to 10 devices against viruses and malware for £5 per month.
TalkTalk broadband packages currently come with a 24-month minimum term, and this also applies to Fibre 35. This means customers can't leave their contract before 24 months without paying early termination fees.
Prices will also rise annually by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 3.7% in April, and this will apply on Fibre 35 from April 2024. As prices go up in April regardless of when a contract was taken out it's worth budgeting for.
Read more in our full review of TalkTalk broadband.
Fibre 35 + TalkTalk TV
TalkTalk Fibre 35 customers have the option to add a TalkTalk TV box when they sign up online.
Fibre 35 customers will get the 4K Android TV hub, which offers access to the Google Play Store platform, including over 10,000 apps, as well as discounts on NOW Memberships and Netflix.
Here's the current pricing for Fibre 35 with the TalkTalk TV box:
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
TV Hub + Fibre 35 | 70 | 38Mb average | £31 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: NOW Cinema just £4.99 for 12 months (was £9.99) + NOW Boost free + Free setup and P&P | ||||||
Unlike the broadband element, TalkTalk TV comes with a 30-day minimum term, and after 30 days customers can cancel the service with just 48 hours' notice. Content subscriptions, including NOW and Netflix among others, are also all available on rolling monthly terms, which gives customers a lot of flexibility over what they watch and pay for.
The part-fibre packages from TalkTalk, including Fibre 35, are now provided with the newer new Android-powered hub which has replaced the previous 4K Netgem box.
Customers will be able to watch Freeview, as well as a range of premium TV channels through on-demand subscriptions, and with wide app support from the Google Play Store. The TV hub also supports Google Assistant and has Chromecast built-in.
On-demand app support covers most of the available options, including Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, Discovery+, Paramount+, Disney+, and Apple TV+, among many others.
Overall, the TalkTalk TV service is a great low-cost option to gain a 4K set-top box, especially considering the subscription price of £5 a month includes NOW Boost, which usually costs £6.
This could be another area however, where customers may want to consider the upgrade to Fibre 65, which could more adequately handle better quality live streams, including content in 4K. The average download speed of 38Mbps on Fibre 35 is only just above the minimum required for 4K content at around 30Mbps, while Fibre 65 offers average speeds of 67Mbps.
Read more in our review of TalkTalk TV packages.
TalkTalk Fibre 35 vs Fibre 65
Customers living in areas where full fibre is yet to reach them will have the choice between TalkTalk's Fibre 35 and Fibre 65 packages.
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Fibre 35 | 38Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
|
|
Fibre 65 | 67Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
As we've mentioned, Fibre 65 is currently only £1 more per month than Fibre 35, which means it should be seriously considered before signing up as it's only marginally more expensive, for almost twice the download speed.
In terms of value for money, Fibre 65 is the better option, it also provides more adequate speeds for customers looking to take TalkTalk TV with much content delivered over 1080p HD, and options for Ultra HD streaming as well.
To compare all TalkTalk plans in your area use our postcode checker here.
Price comparison
TalkTalk isn't the budget provider they used to be and prices have increased on most of their plans.
This means it's possible to find cheaper deals with rival providers including Sky and Plusnet, as well as smaller providers like NOW Broadband, Vodafone and Shell Energy Broadband. Although the current offer of six months half price at the time of writing, does bring the overall cost of TalkTalk Fibre 35 down quite a bit.
Here is Fibre 35 side-by-side to some equivalent packages:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Fibre 35 | 38Mb average | £26 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Free setup and P&P | |||||
| [package_only] | [speed] | [totalcost+offer] | [upfrontcost] | [contract] | |
|
Superfast Broadband | 61Mb average | £27 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Fibre Essential | 36Mb average | £28.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Save £5/mth and free setup (was £31.99) + (Ends 16/05/2024) | |||||
TalkTalk Fibre 35 is cheaper than Direct Save Telecom and Zen Internet, as well as BT's Fibre Essential plan which offers 36Mbps average speeds for £31.99 per month.
When comparing deals from different providers it's worth looking at other factors as well as just price. For example, cheaper providers such as NOW Broadband and Vodafone offer very basic routers, where TalkTalk's WiFi Hub is likely to offer a stronger wireless signal.
TalkTalk also offer the added benefit of their TV service, where customers would only have similar options with BT, Sky and Virgin Media.
Fibre 35 with TalkTalk TV is most closely compared with the new streaming services Sky Stream and Virgin Media Stream, as well as BT TV which also uses NOW Memberships to provide the bulk of its content.
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
TV Hub + Fibre 35 | 70 | 38Mb average | £31 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: NOW Cinema just £4.99 for 12 months (was £9.99) + NOW Boost free + Free setup and P&P | ||||||
|
M125 Fibre Broadband + Stream | 52 | 132Mb average | £26 | £35 | 18 months |
| Offer: Reduced price: £26 per month + Get 10% Stream credit back on every subscription you add to Stream (Ends 30/04/2024) | ||||||
|
|
Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Superfast Broadband | 150 | 61Mb average | £37 | Free | 18 months |
| Offer: Save £9/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 23/05/2024) | ||||||
|
|
Entertainment + Fibre 2 | 96 | 67Mb average | £44.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: £50 BT Virtual Reward Card + Save £5/mth on BT Entertainment TV and free setup (was £61.99) + (Ends 16/05/2024) | ||||||
In the deals listed above, the prices don't include content for TalkTalk or Virgin Media, while Sky and BT's deals include Sky Entertainment. Virgin Media customers would need to pay an extra £12 for the same content.
TalkTalk, however, are currently offering access to NOW Entertainment for just £4.99 per month for 12 months, when it usually costs £9.99 per month.
TalkTalk TV customers also get NOW Boost included for free, whereas BT customers have to pay extra for this.
Overall, TalkTalk TV offers value for money against rival options and is especially suited to customers who primarily use on-demand apps like Netflix and NOW.
How fast is TalkTalk Fibre 35?
Fibre 35 is a fibre to the cabinet broadband connection which is available to around 97% of homes across the UK. It uses the Openreach network and connects to a customer's home using the existing copper phoneline network.
TalkTalk list Fibre 35's average download speed as 38Mbps, and so we know at least 50% of their customers must be receiving this speed during the peak hours of 8pm to 10pm when the network is busiest.
We can also look at independent research by Ofcom into real-world broadband speeds for a more accurate picture on how Fibre 35 performs.
| Advertised average download speed | Average over 24 hours | Average peak time (8-10pm weekdays) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TalkTalk | 38Mb | 35.98Mb | 35.14Mb |
| BT | 36Mb | 33.33Mb | 32.03Mb |
| Plusnet | 36Mb | 35.62Mb | 34.70Mb |
TalkTalk Fibre 35 performs well against similar packages from Plusnet and particularly BT, with faster average download speeds both at peak times and over 24 hours on average.
Fibre 35 achieved 35.14Mbps between 8 and 10pm, and 35.98Mbps over 24 hours, beating BT's equivalent package by some margin as they reported just 32.03Mbps and 33.33Mbps over the same periods.
Upload speeds
Ofcom also look at upload speeds for the major broadband providers, and TalkTalk Fibre 35 had average upload speeds of 7.43Mbps at peak times. This was faster than BT's average peak time upload speed of 6.23Mbps.
| Average upload speeds over 24 hours | Average upload speeds at peak times | |
|---|---|---|
| TalkTalk 38Mb | 7.47Mb | 7.43Mbps |
| Plusnet 36Mb | 8.38Mb | 8.39Mbps |
| BT 36Mb | 6.22Mb | 6.23Mbps |
While upload speeds may not be noticed by most people, they can affect online activities like gaming, as well as video calling and file uploads for example when working from home on shared projects.
Minimum speed guarantee
TalkTalk are signed up to Ofcom's voluntary Broadband Speed Code of Conduct. This means customers who take Fibre 35 will be given a guaranteed minimum download speed when they sign up. If they then don't receive this, they can leave their contract early and without penalty as long as they give TalkTalk 30 working days to try and fix the problem.
This is a good insurance policy that ensures customers get the speed quoted when they signed up, and if they don't they can move to another provider without cost.
| Estimated speed range | Minimum guaranteed speed | |
|---|---|---|
| TalkTalk Fibre 35 | 36 - 37Mbps | 35Mbps |
When we looked at an example postcode we were given an estimated speed range of 36 to 37Mbps, and a guaranteed minimum download speed of 35Mbps.
However, this is likely to vary between locations especially as part-fibre deals like Fibre 35 are more affected by factors such as distance from the local telephone exchange, as well as quality of wiring.
TalkTalk WiFi Hub
TalkTalk Fibre 35 comes with a branded WiFi Hub, either the WiFi Hub Black or the WiFi Hub Premium.
Both routers support dual-band wireless over the WiFi 5 protocol (802.11ac). They also have four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for wired connections, and 7 internal antennae for a decent wireless signal.
The specifications of the WiFi Hub are:
| WiFi Hub Black/Premium | |
|---|---|
| WiFi Protocol | 5 |
| WiFi Band | Dual band |
| 2.4GHz channel | 3x3 MIMO (802.11 b/g/n) |
| 5GHz channel | 4x4 MU-MIMO (802.11 a/n/ac) |
| Ethernet LAN | 4 x 1Gb |
| Security | WPA2 |
TalkTalk don't specify which customers will receive the WiFi Hub Black, and those that will receive the WiFi Hub Premium, however, on testing, we've found postcodes in faster locations, such as where G.Fast is enabled, or those closer to their local exchange, are more likely to be provided the WiFi Hub Premium.
However, both routers have the same physical specifications, and so it's likely the Premium version simply has an updated firmware version.
Overall, either the WiFi Hub Black or the WiFi Hub Premium offer decent wireless signal strength with the seven antennae compared to some more basic routers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What speed will I get with TalkTalk Fibre 35?
TalkTalk Fibre 35 offers an average download speed of 38Mbps, this means at least 50% of their existing customers receive this speed or greater during the busiest network times of 8pm to 10pm.
What is the minimum speed guarantee on Fibre 35?
The minimum speed guarantee on Fibre 35 is individual to customers, however, they should expect a minimum speed around 35Mbps.
TalkTalk are signatories of Ofcom's voluntary code on broadband speeds, this means TalkTalk will supply all new customers with a minimum speed guarantee at the point of sign up. If TalkTalk fail to deliver this speed, customers can leave penalty free as long as they've given TalkTalk 30 working days to try and fix any issues.
In addition to this, TalkTalk also offer new customers a 30 Day Great Connection Guarantee, which promises if a customer is unhappy for any reason they can cancel their contract penalty free within 30 days of their line being activated.
How long does it take for Fibre 35 to be installed?
TalkTalk installation of Fibre 35 should take around two weeks, although this could up to 21 days if a customer needs a new phone line installed.
Most installations of Fibre 35 will be done without needing an engineer, and a customer simply needs to plug in their router when they're notified that their line has been activated.
New phone line installations that require an engineer may cost up to £60 with TalkTalk.
What router comes with TalkTalk Fibre 35?
TalkTalk Fibre 35 comes with the branded WiFi Hub Black router.
The WiFi Hub Black supports WiFi 5, or 802.11 ac, and is also backwards compatible with previous WiFi protocols. The router is dual-band working across both 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels, with seven internal antennae, and four gigabit LAN ports for wired connections.
Some customers will get the WiFi Hub Premium, which likely has an updated firmware version.
Where is TalkTalk Fibre 35 available?
TalkTalk 35 uses the Openreach fibre to the cabinet network, where the final cable to a property is the existing copper phone line network. Fibre 35 is available to around 97% of UK homes, so most people should be able to receive it.
Customers living in full fibre enabled areas on either the Openreach or CityFibre networks won't be able to opt for Fibre 35, and instead their cheapest plan will be Fibre 65.
Verdict: Is TalkTalk Fibre 35 any good?
TalkTalk Fibre 35 is a budget broadband option that's most suited to smaller households of around one to three people, including where they work from home or stream online TV.
It performs well on price, although there are cheaper options if cost is the most important aspect. However, for anyone looking to also bundle TV it's one of the best options for a low-cost broadband and TV bundle with access to premium content and apps.
What we like most about Fibre 35:
- Some areas will get TalkTalk's latest WiFi Hub Premium for improved wireless performance
- TalkTalk TV plan is a low-cost way to access 4K content as well as on-demand apps from Netflix, NOW and Prime Video
When people may want to consider a different plan:
- Larger households who may be streaming TV or online gaming at the same time may want to upgrade to TalkTalk Fibre 65 for a more seamless experience
- People looking for the lowest cost package will save more with NOW Broadband, or even Plusnet or Sky
To find out more about TalkTalk broadband in general, we've reviewed their service in full here. We also have more information on TalkTalk TV.
Compare TalkTalk's latest prices here.
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