Compare 4th Utility broadband deals in 2026
4th Utility is a full fibre broadband provider that works differently from most of the names you will see when comparing deals. Rather than selling over a nationwide network, it builds its own fibre into apartment blocks and housing developments, working with the landlords and developers who own them. Its terms say it can only supply addresses connected to its network, so for most households the first question is simply whether your building is on it.
If it is, you can choose from five full fibre speeds advertised from 150Mbps to 900Mbps, each with the same upload speed as download (checked October 2026), on a 30-day rolling contract or a 12- or 24-month term. Enter your postcode in the comparison above to see 4th Utility's live deals at your address. To see every provider that can serve your home, use our fibre broadband deals comparison instead.
This guide covers who runs 4th Utility, where it operates, what its packages and router include, how its price changes and notice periods work, and what customers say, so you can decide whether it suits your flat or development.
Who is 4th Utility?
4th Utility is the trading name of 4th Utility Holdings Limited, registered in England and Wales under company number 11010880. Companies House records show the company was incorporated on 12 October 2017 as Liberatis Limited and took its current name in January 2022. The name reflects its view that broadband has become the "fourth utility" after water, gas and electricity.
The business is based in Greater Manchester, with its customer address at Station House in Altrincham. It describes itself as one of a new breed of alternative networks, or altnets: companies that build and maintain their own fibre optic networks instead of relying on the copper telephone lines that older broadband runs over.
Companies House lists 4th Utility Holdings Topco Limited as the company's controlling shareholder, and that company is in turn controlled by Liberatis Investments Limited. Infrastructure investor DIF Capital Partners first invested in August 2020, and in May 2023 4th Utility announced further investment from Netherlands-based NIBC Bank. ISPreview's 2026 reporting describes the business as backed by CVC DIF, the infrastructure arm of private markets firm CVC, which provided more funding in 2025 and 2026.
A few milestones show how it has grown:
- 2020: when DIF invested, 4th Utility's chief technology officer said its service was already live in hundreds of homes.
- Vision Fibre Media: its first acquisition was London-based Vision Fibre Media, whose network covers buildings in central London including the Barbican.
- 2022: in February ISPreview reported that 4th Utility was expanding from new-build developments to existing homes and large residential blocks, and the company later said it had covered around 40,000 premises by October 2022.
- 2025: ISPreview reported that the company's accounts for the year to 31 March 2025 showed the number of monthly subscriptions sold had doubled and turnover had more than doubled.
How 4th Utility relates to Rise Fibre
Rise Fibre belongs to the same business: ISPreview describes it as a trading name of 4th Utility. Steve Wilson, who was appointed in March 2023 to run 4th Utility's then-new consumer business, is now Rise Fibre's chief executive.
The practical difference is the network. Rise Fibre typically sells full fibre over the CityFibre and Openreach networks, and also uses Community Fibre, Trooli, Freedom Fibre and 4th Utility's own network, so it can reach far more homes. 4th Utility's own fibre is used mainly for blocks of flats. 4th Utility's October 2026 pricing page also sets out exit terms for full fibre delivered over a third-party network such as Openreach or CityFibre, so the wider business is not limited to its own fibre.
In August 2026 ISPreview reported that Rise Fibre had agreed to acquire around 120,000 TalkTalk broadband customers, a deal expected to take it to almost 250,000 subscribers. If 4th Utility does not serve your building, our Rise Fibre broadband deals page shows what the sister brand offers.
Where is 4th Utility available?
4th Utility's availability works building by building rather than town by town. It partners with landlords, property developers and house builders to install fibre in their developments; when it announced DIF's investment in 2020 it named The McGoff Group, Crest Nicholson, David Wilson Homes and Fortis Group among its partners. ISPreview describes it rolling out to individual homes as well as large residential buildings, so a house on a partner development can be covered, not only a flat.
The company does not publish a full list of the buildings or towns it serves. Places it has named publicly include:
- Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich: described in 2023 as its biggest project to date, with around 4,000 properties ready for service at the time of the UK Fibre Awards 2023.
- Walsall, West Midlands: the 1,200-property WATMOS Community Homes estate, one of the first sites for its social tariff.
- Central London: buildings including the Barbican, through the Vision Fibre Media network it acquired.
The last network size we could verify is about 40,000 premises, a figure ISPreview reported for October 2022. ISPreview noted that the company's accounts to March 2025 did not give a homes-passed or customer total, so we cannot tell you how large the network is today.
How to check whether your building is connected
Enter your postcode in the comparison above: if 4th Utility can serve your address, its deals will appear. On 4th Utility's own website you search for your building or postcode in its "find your home" search, then pick your building to order.
If your building appears but is not taking orders yet, you can register interest. 4th Utility says it may already have started cabling such a building; its website shows an estimated date for service, which can change, and it emails you when the building goes live. If your address does not appear at all, its network is not installed there. You can still register interest, and the company says it starts installing once enough residents have done so, but at that stage it gives no estimated date and says it cannot guarantee it will install its network soon. If you rent, your landlord or managing agent can tell you which broadband networks the building has.
4th Utility broadband packages
Every 4th Utility package is full fibre, also called FTTP (fibre to the premises): fibre optic cable runs all the way into your home rather than switching to copper wire at a street cabinet. Its pricing page dated October 2026 lists five tiers, and a footnote says the speeds are symmetrical, meaning each tier uploads as fast as it downloads:
Package | Advertised download | Advertised upload |
|---|---|---|
150Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | 150Mbps | 150Mbps |
200Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | 200Mbps | 200Mbps |
300Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | 300Mbps | 300Mbps |
500Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | 500Mbps | 500Mbps |
900Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | 900Mbps | 900Mbps |
Speeds are as advertised by 4th Utility, checked October 2026. The pricing page notes that availability of products may differ by location, so not every tier will necessarily be on sale in your building. An activation charge applies to new connections; the comparison shows the current monthly price and any upfront cost for each deal.
Contracts come in three lengths: 30-day rolling, 12 months and 24 months. The rolling option can suit renters on short tenancies or anyone who expects to move soon.
You may notice different top speeds quoted across 4th Utility's website. Its homepage headline advertises speeds "up to 2.3Gbps", its about page says its network can deliver up to 1Gbps, and one help article refers to a "900/1000Mb package", while the October 2026 pricing page stops at 900Mbps. We could not find a 2.3Gbps package on sale, so we list the five tiers on the pricing page. If you need more than 900Mbps, ask 4th Utility what is available in your building.
Why symmetrical speeds matter
Most UK broadband uploads far more slowly than it downloads. On 4th Utility's tiers, upload matches download: the entry 150Mbps package is advertised at 150Mbps up as well as down, and the 900Mbps package at 900Mbps both ways. Upload speed is what counts when you back up photos and videos to the cloud, send large files for work, stream live, or have several people on video calls at once, so a symmetrical connection makes the most difference in busy households and for people working from home.
Speed promises and Wi-Fi in a flat
4th Utility's terms set a minimum speed of 50% of the headline speed, measured over a CAT6 cable plugged directly into the supplied equipment. If you consistently get less, contact it and it will try to help improve your speed, with further remedies set out in its terms. Its help article for the 900/1000Mb package goes further, saying that if speeds over a wired connection fall below 70% of that package's speed for three consecutive days, it will investigate this as a fault.
Wi-Fi is usually slower than a wired connection, and the same help article gives advice that is especially relevant in a block of flats:
- It says Wi-Fi speeds of 200 to 500Mbps are generally considered excellent for a home, even on its fastest package.
- The 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band reaches its fastest at around 80 to 100Mbps but copes better with walls and distance; the 5GHz band typically gives 400 to 500Mbps over a shorter range.
- In apartment buildings, interference can come from large electrical machinery such as the lift mechanism or plant room, and neighbouring Wi-Fi networks share the same channels.
- For gaming or large file transfers it recommends connecting with an Ethernet cable.
Check your own connection with our broadband speed test, and see our guide on how to improve your Wi-Fi signal.
4th Utility's social tariff
A social tariff is a cheaper broadband package for households on low incomes. 4th Utility says its social tariff was designed for low-income families who may be claiming benefits such as Universal Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit. It is offered in buildings that qualify for it, and if you live in one, the company says you can subscribe without supplying supporting documents.
The tariff gives an average speed of 30Mbps on a 30-day rolling contract, with no credit checks. The WATMOS Community Homes estate in Walsall was one of the first sites to get it.
Router, Wi-Fi and extras
4th Utility is a broadband-only provider. When we checked its website in October 2026 we did not find TV, mobile or home phone packages, so if you want a bundle you would need to buy those separately or choose another provider. Its help pages explain how to use Sky Q and Sky Glass with 4th Utility broadband, which is useful if you already have Sky TV. If a bundle matters more, compare broadband and TV deals or broadband and phone deals at your address.
No phone line needed. 4th Utility's full fibre does not use a phone line at all; its homepage says full fibre "ditches the landline completely". The UK's old copper phone network is being retired anyway, with most customers expected to have moved to digital phone services by the end of January 2027. If you still want a home phone, you would need to arrange a digital voice service from another provider, since we found no phone package from 4th Utility.
The router. 4th Utility's terms list the equipment as an integrated ONT-router, cables, a fibre faceplate and a media converter. The ONT (optical network terminal) is the box that turns the light signal in the fibre into a normal internet connection; in an integrated ONT-router it is built into the router, so there is one box instead of two. Its self-install guide covers an Icotera router that plugs straight into the fibre socket on the wall and says the connection should be working within 5 to 10 minutes. The equipment is leased to you and remains 4th Utility's property.
Using your own router. If you prefer your own router or mesh Wi-Fi system, 4th Utility supplies a bridge device free of charge, and your router connects using PPPoE login details shown in your 4th Utility account.
What do 4th Utility customers say?
On Trustpilot, 4th Utility had a TrustScore of 4.6 out of 5, rated "Excellent", from 12,156 reviews when we checked on 8 October 2026. 82% of reviews were 5-star and 12% were 1-star, and the profile showed the company had replied to 99% of negative reviews. Trustpilot reviews come from customers who choose to post, so treat them as one signal among several rather than a complete picture.
4th Utility has also picked up industry recognition:
- UK Fibre Awards 2023: Highly Commended for Best Urban Fibre Provider.
- UK Customer Experience Awards (run by Awards International): Gold in the Best On-Site Customer Experience category for its Greenwich project, won in the week it marked its sixth anniversary.
- UK Fibre Awards 2026: entered as "4th Utility | Rise", it won Sales/Commercial Team of the Year and Executive Leadership Team of the Year, and was commended for Best ISP and Best Overall Fibre Provider.
If something goes wrong, you can contact support by phone on 0333 888 4050, by live chat or on WhatsApp, and its terms say there is no charge for the customer support services it provides on that number. Known outages are listed on its service status page. Complaints are acknowledged within 7 working days, with a target to resolve them within 28 working days. If a complaint is still unresolved after eight weeks, or you reach deadlock sooner, you can take it to CISAS, the independent dispute resolution scheme 4th Utility uses.
Price rises and contract terms
We did not find a fixed annual price rise in 4th Utility's customer terms (effective 1 March 2026). Instead, the terms say that if it makes a change that is not exclusively to your benefit, purely administrative or required by law, it will give you at least one month's notice. You then have 30 days from its email about the change to end your contract by phone without paying early termination charges.
Prices have risen in practice: 4th Utility raised its prices in spring 2026, citing higher operating costs, and told customers about their new charges by email or letter. It says existing discounts and promotional offers stay in place until their original end date. Its spring 2026 pricing FAQs also say 30-day plans cost more and are reviewed more often, which can lead to price changes, while longer contracts give more price stability.
Since 17 January 2025, Ofcom's rules require providers to tell you in pounds and pence, before you sign up, exactly how much your monthly price will rise during the contract and when; inflation-linked rises are no longer allowed in new contracts. Before you order, check the contract summary for any rise shown in pounds and pence.
Other key terms:
- Cooling-off: you can cancel within 14 days of ordering and pay only for the service you have used, although if you asked 4th Utility to start work during that period you may have to pay installation and equipment costs it has already incurred.
- Money back guarantee: some contracts include a money back guarantee period, stated in your contract summary, during which you can cancel for a full refund, including installation costs.
- Notice: after the cooling-off period, every contract needs 30 days' notice, and you cancel by phone.
- Early exit: leaving a 12- or 24-month contract before the minimum term ends costs the remaining contract value, which includes any contractual price increases due in that period, less VAT, less the costs 4th Utility saves (reviewed every April) and less a 1% discount for paying early.
- Other charges: the pricing page lists a re-activation fee, a late payment charge and charges for missed or failed engineer visits.
Switching to 4th Utility
Since 12 September 2024, switching between broadband providers uses Ofcom's One Touch Switch process: you only contact the new provider, you are automatically told what leaving your current deal would cost (such as any early termination charges), and the switch happens on a date you agree, whichever networks the two providers use. 4th Utility's online order form includes a One Touch Switch step that switches your current broadband over for you; if it cannot find your existing service, or you choose to skip the step, you will need to cancel with your old provider yourself. Our guide to switching broadband providers explains the process step by step.
Installation depends on your building. Where working 4th Utility equipment is already in your home, its terms say the service can be switched on without an engineer visit. When it announced DIF's investment in 2020, 4th Utility said new customers were typically online within 60 seconds of signing up; its current terms do not promise a timescale, so check your activation date when you order. Otherwise an engineer installs a fibre socket on a date you choose when ordering. The standard position is within two metres of your front door, so think about where you want your router before the visit.
If you are moving into a new-build flat, check whether 4th Utility is the network installed in the development, as it may already be in place and ready to switch on. If you later move out, its terms say it can serve your new home only if that home is already connected to its network, and you would usually be treated as a new customer.
Pros and things to consider
Pros
- Full fibre with symmetrical speeds: every tier from 150Mbps to 900Mbps is advertised at the same speed up and down (checked October 2026).
- A 30-day rolling contract alongside 12- and 24-month terms.
- Often no engineer visit needed where the equipment is already installed.
- A free bridge device if you want to use your own router.
- A social tariff with no credit checks in qualifying buildings.
- Strong Trustpilot rating: 4.6 from 12,156 reviews (8 October 2026).
Things to consider
- Sold mainly in buildings on its own network, and there is no public list of them.
- Broadband only: no TV, mobile or home phone packages found on its website.
- Its website quotes different top speeds (2.3Gbps, 1Gbps and 900Mbps); the October 2026 pricing page stops at 900Mbps.
- No fixed annual price-rise formula in the terms; prices rose in spring 2026, and 30-day plans are reviewed more often.
- Cancelling needs 30 days' notice by phone, and early exit charges apply to 12- and 24-month contracts.
- If you move, you can keep the service only if your new home is on its network.
4th Utility vs alternatives
The alternatives open to you depend on which networks reach your block. A few useful comparisons:
- Rise Fibre, 4th Utility's sister brand, sells over Openreach, CityFibre and other networks, so it is worth checking if your building is not on 4th Utility's own fibre.
- Hyperoptic also sells only full fibre, taken all the way to the building, and works with existing buildings, new-build homes, build-to-rent developments and serviced apartments.
- Community Fibre builds, owns and operates its own 100% full fibre network in London, so it may be an option if you live in the capital.
The comparison on this page shows 4th Utility's deals only. To see every provider that can serve your exact address, enter your postcode on our fibre broadband deals or broadband-only deals pages, or browse all the options on our broadband providers page. If you want broadband bundled with TV or a landline, a national provider is more likely to suit.
4th Utility broadband FAQs
Is 4th Utility available at my address?
Usually only if your building is connected to 4th Utility's own full fibre network, which it installs in apartment blocks and developments with landlords and developers. Enter your postcode in the comparison above to see whether its deals are available, or search for your building on 4th Utility's website, where you can register interest if it is not live yet.
What speeds does 4th Utility offer?
Its pricing page dated October 2026 lists five full fibre tiers: 150Mbps, 200Mbps, 300Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps. A footnote says the speeds are symmetrical, so each tier is advertised at the same speed for uploads as for downloads. Availability may differ by location, and although its homepage mentions speeds up to 2.3Gbps, we could not find a package at that speed.
Does 4th Utility offer a 30-day rolling contract?
Yes. 4th Utility offers 30-day rolling contracts as well as 12-month and 24-month contracts. Its spring 2026 pricing FAQs say 30-day plans cost more and are reviewed more often, which can lead to price changes, while longer contracts give more price stability, so weigh flexibility against cost.
Can I get TV or a landline with 4th Utility?
When we checked in October 2026 we did not find TV, mobile or home phone packages on 4th Utility's website, so it is a broadband-only provider and its full fibre does not use a phone line. Its help pages explain how to use Sky Q and Sky Glass over its broadband, so you can still watch TV that streams over the internet.
Can I use my own router with 4th Utility?
Yes. 4th Utility supplies an integrated ONT-router, which combines the fibre box and the router in one unit, but if you prefer your own router or mesh system it provides a bridge device free of charge. Your router then connects using the PPPoE login details shown in your 4th Utility online account.
Will my 4th Utility price go up during my contract?
It can. 4th Utility raised prices in spring 2026, and its terms let it make changes with at least one month's notice, giving you 30 days from its email to leave without early termination charges. Ofcom's rules also mean any rise written into a contract taken out since 17 January 2025 must be shown in pounds and pence before you sign up.
Does 4th Utility need an engineer to install broadband?
Not always. Where working 4th Utility equipment is already in your home, its terms say the service can be activated without an engineer visit. Otherwise an engineer installs a fibre socket on a date you choose when ordering, normally within two metres of your front door. Missed or failed engineer visits can carry a charge.
How do I leave 4th Utility?
You have a 14-day cooling-off period after ordering. After that, every contract needs 30 days' notice, given by phone. If you leave a 12- or 24-month contract before the minimum term ends, early termination charges apply. If you are moving to another provider, your new provider can usually arrange the switch through One Touch Switch.
Does 4th Utility have a social tariff?
Yes. Its social tariff is aimed at low-income families who may be claiming benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit. It gives an average speed of 30Mbps on a 30-day rolling contract with no credit checks, and is offered in buildings that qualify for it, where you do not need to supply supporting documents.
Is 4th Utility the same company as Rise Fibre?
Yes, they are part of the same business: ISPreview describes Rise Fibre as a trading name of 4th Utility. Rise Fibre mainly sells full fibre over the CityFibre and Openreach networks, while 4th Utility sells mainly in buildings on its own network, so Rise Fibre can reach far more homes.
