Unlimited broadband deals 2024

There are many providers and packages to choose from if you’re looking for broadband deals. Luckily, most providers offer plans with unlimited data. This means that while the speed at which you can download (and upload) content will vary depending on your package, provider and postcode, the actual amount you can download each month won’t be capped or limited.

Essentially, unlimited broadband means you never need to worry about hitting a limit on how much you download each month using your broadband. Downloading on broadband encompasses streaming films and TV shows, browsing the internet, checking emails, video calling and gaming.

Downloading is what you’ll use the internet for the most, while uploading is anything you upload, such as posting a photo on Instagram. This is why you’ll read more about a provider’s download speeds than upload speeds, and you can expect the upload speeds with your package to be much slower than your download speeds (seeing as you’ll be downloading much more often).

Several factors determine your download speeds, such as where you live and what speeds the provider offers with the plan you pay for. But when it comes to how much data you can download each month, most providers nowadays don’t put a cap on this. The exceptions to this are often no-contract broadband packages or mobile broadband deals.

Everyone will benefit from unlimited broadband, as it’s a service that gives you complete freedom. However, some people should consider this type of broadband more than others. These include:

• People with heavy internet use: if you and your household are known to use the internet essentially all the time – including mobile devices connected to the wifi, smart TVs running video games and laptops streaming high-definition (HD) films – then you should look for a package that gives you unlimited downloads
• People who run their business from home: if you’re looking for business broadband for your home office, you’ll find that these packages offer unlimited downloads
• People who game online often: depending on the game, gaming can be one of the biggest drains on internet use, and gamers will likely already have a broadband package that can produce the fast download speeds they need for a smooth gaming experience
• People in a shared house: if you live with other people and you don’t know exactly how much they’ll be downloading, the last thing you want is to find your usage limited due to your flatmate’s browsing habits

If you’re confused about how much data you use when using your broadband for different purposes, we’ve broken this down for you below.

Whether or not your data is unlimited doesn’t affect the average download speeds you can get with your broadband. Your speed will depend on what area you live in, the speeds your particular plan can reach and other factors such as the time of day you’re using the internet (evenings tend to see slightly slower speeds due to being busier times for browsing and streaming).

While most home broadband today is either fibre or full-fibre broadband, there are actually four different types of broadband:

• Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL): before fibre broadband, ADSL was the most popular and common type of broadband. It connects to your home with copper wires, and you’ll need a phone line in your property, as this is the line used to connect your broadband
• Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC): also known as superfast internet, with this type of connection, the provider delivers the broadband to a cabinet in your street, then into your home using a mix of fibre optic and copper wires. In the UK, FTTC has slowly been replacing ADSL as the most common and much more reliable broadband service
• Fibre to the premises (FTTP): this type of broadband forgoes the copper wire and cabinet, using just fibre optic cables to deliver broadband directly to your home. Known as ultrafast broadband, FTTP will give you much faster download speeds
• Hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC): less common is HFC broadband, which uses fibre optic and coaxial infrastructure

All top UK broadband providers offer unlimited broadband, so if having unlimited downloads is something that’s important to you, you’re in luck. If you can access the fast download speeds on offer and your postcode is eligible for fibre and full-fibre broadband (not everyone in the UK can get it quite yet), you have many choices. Below are the best deals, with the fastest download speeds, from the top UK providers – but cheaper packages are available with slower speeds.

Because so many providers offer unlimited broadband, which is considered the norm for broadband plans now, there are lots of packages available for unlimited broadband deals.

• Broadband and phone deals: if you still require a landline service, whether digital or traditional, you should look for a provider with broadband and phone offers. Some providers, such as Plusnet, are phasing out their landline services, so you won’t be able to add on any phone deals
• Broadband and TV deals: plenty of providers offer broadband and TV packages, which is ideal if you want to bundle these two services together. Some providers even throw in a 4K TV device, as well as subscriptions to streaming services such as NOW, Netflix and Amazon Prime, for a lump sum
• Broadband, TV and phone deals: Look to top UK providers, such as Sky, for a package that bundles phone, broadband and TV, but expect to pay a higher monthly cost for this deal
• Broadband-only deals: If you just want a broadband package that doesn’t include a phone line, TV services or any similar extras, opting for broadband-only packages is your best option, and you’ll find plenty of plans with unlimited downloads

Each provider offers different monthly costs (and activation or setup fees) for its packages, with the most comprehensive packages that provide the fastest download speeds unsurprisingly being the most expensive.

When looking for unlimited downloads for your new broadband package, you should research the top UK broadband providers, which include TalkTalk, Plusnet, Vodafone and Virgin Media. Enter your postcode onto their sites to find out which packages are available to you, including which download speeds you can access.

Consider which add-ons are important to you, whether you just want a broadband-only deal and what speeds you’re willing to pay for. Remember that each broadband package will have guaranteed download speeds, which are lower than the average download speeds – so make sure you know what these are and what compensation or support you can get if they end up lower than guaranteed before you commit to a new plan.