Vodafone launches Great British Broadband Switch

Broadband switching is easiest for those transitioning between retailers that are underpinned by the Openreach network, whether it’s the VDSL2 or full-fibre services, and this is the focus of the Great British Broadband Switch campaign that Vodafone has promoted again.

The Great British Broadband Switch campaign has run before back in 2020, but the 2024 edition features more participants and offers up to £100 for new customers joining Vodafone while still under contract with their existing broadband provider. The catch is that you must sign up for Vodafone’s Full Fibre 900 service, priced at £39 per month on a 24-month contract. So, the £100 contract pay out, while helpful, is only worth pursuing if you actually want the 900 Mbps service—the slower and cheaper 500 Mbps at £33 per month would save more over the 24-month term (i.e., £144). When comparing pricing, note that Vodafone employs a CPI+3.9 price formula, similar to BT.

The real winners are those who switch, particularly as the same-speed service at Vodafone is significantly cheaper, e.g., BT 900 versus Vodafone 910. The exact savings vary as some may still be on an introductory BT offer price of £57.99, while others pay £64.05. Vodafone has a page for verifying its price savings, suggesting that over 12 months, its average price for its Full Fibre 910 service was £33.72, compared to £45.99 for BT Full Fibre 900. However, this doesn’t reflect what a person in contract would have paid but rather the average offer price at the point of sale. With weekly variations in ticket prices for popular broadband services, tracking prices can be difficult.

Given the delays to the One Touch Switching system, the 2024 switching campaign simplifies matters by focusing on those using the Openreach network for their underlying service.