TalkTalk unveils fibre pricing and availability

TalkTalk has revealed its pricing and availability for fibre-based fast broadband services, six months after signing up to resell BT's wholesale connectivity.

In a letter to customers and on a web page that went up on Friday, TalkTalk said it would start selling up-to-40Mbps services in May. The page includes a coverage checker, and indicates that upgrading from copper to fibre will cost customers an extra £10 per month on top of their standard package, plus a £25 activation fee to cover engineering costs.

Given TalkTalk's current broadband pricing, this will mean a monthly bill of between £17-£25, plus line rental.

TalkTalk's speed boost — the ISP's customers who remain on copper get up to 24Mbps — comes from a deal signed last October between the company and BT. BT is by far the most prolific provider of fibre-based next-generation access in the UK, and has pledged to make its fibre networks available to two-thirds of the population by 2015.

According to TalkTalk's fine print, the company's Fibre Optic Boost product is subject to a minimum contract of 18 months, and is only available to TalkTalk Essentials or Plus broadband customers.