TalkTalk packages and speeds: How good are they?

The imbalance gets worse as download speeds rise

Full Fibre 65 gives you a 20Mbps upload, equal to almost 31% of its download speed. That's high. Full Fibre 150 manages 30Mbps. Both should comfortably handle video calls, gaming, cloud saves and the occasional large upload without making you wait all day.

And on it goes higher up the range. Full Fibre 500 gives you 75Mbps, just 15% of its download speed, while Full Fibre 900 tops out at 110Mbps, a little more than 12%. The faster the package becomes, the less impressive its upload speed looks beside it.

There’s no symmetrical package or upload upgrade

TalkTalk doesn’t offer symmetrical speeds on any current package, at any speed or address. It doesn’t matter whether your connection reaches you over Openreach or CityFibre either. Unlike providers like Vodafone Broadband or Rebel Internet, TalkTalk doesn’t use CityFibre to give the homes that can get it matching upload and download speeds.

TalkTalk U doesn’t solve the issue either. It moves your connection between the same four speed tiers according to your previous usage, so the upload speed rises or falls with the download speed. At best you get the 110Mbps upload attached to 900Mbps, at worst it’s 20Mbps alongside 65Mbps. The package changes which imbalance you receive, not TalkTalk’s basic approach to upload speed.

Heavy uploaders should look elsewhere

Most homes will cope perfectly well with these numbers. Video calls, gaming, social media, photo sharing and ordinary cloud saves don’t need enormous upload speeds, and even 20Mbps is enough for several everyday jobs to happen at once without causing much trouble.

But you might need more if you regularly upload video, back up large folders or regularly send project files. TalkTalk gives you no way to improve the upload speed separately, so anyone who sends lots of data should look for symmetrical Full Fibre elsewhere if you can get it.

Sources: TalkTalk, All compared providers

Pick a fixed package and TalkTalk should do the job nicely

Full Fibre 65 is already fast enough for email, documents, web-based systems and video calls. Move up to Full Fibre 150 or 500 and there’s plenty of breathing room for several people to work, stream and use the connection at once. You don’t need Full Fibre 900 simply because your spare bedroom has become an office.

TalkTalk U is the odd one out. It moves you between four speed tiers according to how you used the connection during the previous month, without reducing the price when it drops your speed. That may suit an undemanding household, but predictable broadband makes far more sense when you depend on it for work. We’d choose one of TalkTalk’s fixed packages instead.

TalkTalk’s uploads are fine until the files get enormous

Upload speeds run from 20Mbps on Full Fibre 65 to 110Mbps on Full Fibre 900. That’s enough for video calls, cloud documents, sending ordinary attachments and backing up day-to-day work. TalkTalk’s lower packages aren’t unusually stingy here, so most people won’t have any reason to worry about the smaller number.

The difference becomes noticeable if you regularly send raw video, large design projects, CAD files or enormous photo libraries. Those jobs will take much longer on the cheaper packages, and TalkTalk offers no symmetrical option that matches your upload and download speeds. Full Fibre 500 or 900 will improve matters, but you’re buying a much faster download package to get the extra upload speed.

There’s no backup connection if TalkTalk goes down

TalkTalk doesn’t offer mobile broadband backup with its residential packages. If the connection fails, you’ll need to use your phone, find another connection or stop working until the fault is fixed. That’s the biggest omission here. Speed matters, but an extremely fast connection is no help at all when it isn’t working.

There’s no residential static IP option either, which may matter if you run a server or need to reach equipment at home from somewhere else. TalkTalk can provide battery equipment for eligible Digital Voice users, but that only keeps compatible equipment powered during a power cut. It isn’t a second internet connection. Ordinary home workers should be fine, but anyone whose income depends on staying online needs their own backup plan.

You can upgrade online, but the contract clock starts again

TalkTalk lets you request an upgrade through the Packages & Upgrades area of My Account. There’s no advance-notice period and no compulsory phone call. So long as you're not going from Standard Fibre to Full Fibre, which requires installation work, upgrades should be instantaneous.

The catch is the new contract. Moving to a faster current Full Fibre package starts another minimum term according to TalkTalk's Ts & Cs. Fair enough if you genuinely need more speed and expect to stay with TalkTalk, but it does turn a simple package tweak into a much bigger commitment. Check your new end date before accepting.

TalkTalk will consider a downgrade during your contract

TalkTalk doesn’t shut the door on mid-contract downgrades. If your package is faster than you need or has become too expensive, you can ask to move down. There’s no published advance-notice period and TalkTalk doesn’t advertise a standard charge requiring you to keep paying for the faster package after the change.

It isn’t a guaranteed right to pick any cheaper package, however. TalkTalk handles downgrades individually and must agree to the replacement. Your options can depend on what’s available at your address, your current discounts and whether different equipment or installation work is involved. A downgrade will also normally replace your existing agreement with another minimum-term contract.

Downgrading is online, but it isn’t self-service

You won’t find a downgrade button matching TalkTalk’s self-service upgrade route (still no mainstream provider offer one-click downgrades). Instead, TalkTalk tells you to get in touch. You can do that through authenticated Live Chat in My Account, so a phone call isn’t compulsory, but you’ll still need to discuss your options with an adviser.

That gives TalkTalk room to explain what will change, but also makes the process less direct than moving up. There’s no universal completion time and no promise that every lower package will be offered. Make it clear that you want a cheaper core broadband package, then ask for the new price, minimum term and any lost discounts before agreeing.

Check the whole deal before accepting a different package

A lower monthly price doesn’t tell you whether a downgrade is worthwhile. The new package may come with another minimum term, a different annual price-rise schedule or changes to your discounts and equipment. TalkTalk must disclose the terms before you accept, so don’t approve the change until you know exactly what you’re being moved onto.

If you order a replacement package and cancel it during the cooling-off period, TalkTalk says it will return you to your previous service or an equivalent one. Your original minimum term then continues. That protects you from being stranded without a package, but it doesn’t wipe away the contract you already had. Changing your mind isn’t a route out of the remaining term.