Compare Community Fibre broadband deals in 2026
Community Fibre is a London broadband provider that runs its own full fibre network, so if it reaches your street you can get gigabit-class speeds without relying on Openreach's lines. Every package has symmetrical speeds, meaning your upload speed is the same as your download speed, and every package has unlimited data. Every package except the 8.5 Gbps tier comes with a Linksys Mesh router.
The standard range runs from a 35 Mbps Essential package that any new customer can take, through 75 Mbps to 5 Gbps tiers, up to an 8.5 Gbps tier launched in September 2026, mostly on 12-month or 24-month contracts. Coverage is the catch: Community Fibre only sells where its own cables run, which is mainly London plus parts of Surrey and West Sussex.
Enter your postcode in the comparison above to see Community Fibre's live deals at your address, alongside the other providers on our comparison that can connect you. Below we explain who Community Fibre is, where it's available, what each package offers, how its price rises work and what to expect when you switch. Package details were checked in October 2026.
Who is Community Fibre?
Community Fibre is the trading name of Community Fibre Limited, a private company registered at Companies House (company number 07413288) and incorporated on 20 October 2010. Its registered office is on Great Portland Street in central London.
It began with pilot full fibre builds in Westminster social housing and has grown into what it describes as London's largest full-fibre-only broadband provider. It is an altnet (an alternative network): rather than renting lines from Openreach, it builds, owns and operates its own fibre network. In its own words, it doesn't just resell other people's cables. Much of that fibre was laid at relatively low cost through Openreach's existing underground ducts and poles, according to ISPreview (November 2023), but the fibre and the service on it are Community Fibre's own.
Graeme Oxby has been chief executive since 2019 and Olaf Swantee has been executive chairman since 2020. The business is backed by the investment firms Warburg Pincus, DTCP, Railpen and NDIF, with lenders including JP Morgan and Barclays, according to ISPreview (September 2026).
A few milestones help explain where it is today:
- August 2021: it bought Box Broadband, a Surrey-based full fibre builder whose network then reached about 7,000 homes in villages including Ewhurst, Walliswood, Ellen's Green and Cranleigh. Box has since been rebranded as Community Fibre.
- Late 2023 to 2026: after pausing network building and cutting jobs (ISPreview, November 2023 and March 2024, when it also moved some customer service work to a partner in South Africa), it concentrated on signing up customers on the network it had already built.
- May 2024: it announced it was bringing its service to 66,000 more residents across Surrey and Sussex.
- May 2026: its results for 2025, reported by ISPreview, showed revenue up 48%, adjusted EBITDA (a measure of operating profit) up 530% and customers up 26%. At the same time it announced a return to network building, aiming to reach more than 2 million homes and businesses by 2028-2029.
One thing worth knowing: in June 2026 ISPreview reported a Financial Times story that Warburg Pincus was exploring a sale of the business. Neither Community Fibre nor its backers had confirmed it at the time.
Where is Community Fibre available?
Community Fibre says its network passes more than 1.3 million premises, a figure that includes homes, schools, community centres and businesses (checked October 2026). ISPreview put the total at 1.4 million homes, mostly in London and the South East, in May and September 2026. Some limited infill building continues near the existing network, and the company has said it plans to grow well beyond that by 2028-2029.
Within London, the boroughs it names include Wandsworth, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Lambeth and Brent, among others. Outside the capital, it serves parts of Surrey and West Sussex.
Being in a covered borough doesn't guarantee your home can get it. Altnet networks are built street by street and often block by block, so a neighbouring road or a different building on the same estate can have a different answer. Community Fibre checks availability by exact address.
The quickest way to find out is to enter your postcode in the comparison at the top of this page: if Community Fibre can connect your home, its packages appear alongside the other providers on our comparison that serve your address. If it doesn't, our broadband deals by area pages show what else is on offer in your town.
Community Fibre had around 450,000 customers in May 2026, up from 429,000 at the end of January 2026, according to ISPreview.
Community Fibre broadband packages
All Community Fibre packages use FTTP (fibre to the premises, also called full fibre), meaning a fibre optic cable runs all the way into your home rather than stopping at a street cabinet and finishing on copper. That's what allows its upload speeds to match its download speeds.
The table shows Community Fibre's standard residential tiers, with the average wired speeds it advertises and the Wi-Fi speeds it says you can expect in the same room as the router (checked October 2026). Speeds are the same in both directions. Not every tier is sold on every contract length or through every sales channel.
Package | Contract lengths | Advertised average (wired, down and up) | Expected Wi-Fi, same room |
|---|---|---|---|
Essential 35 Mbps | 12 months | 35 Mbps | 35 Mbps |
75 Mbps | 12 or 24 months | 75 Mbps package | Not published |
100 Mbps | 12 or 24 months | 100 Mbps package | Not published |
150 Mbps | 12 or 24 months | 150 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
300 Mbps | 12 or 24 months | 300 Mbps package (see note below) | Not published separately |
500 Mbps | 12 or 24 months | 500 Mbps | 450-500 Mbps |
1 Gbps (with WiFi 7), also as 1 Gbps Premium | 12 or 24 months (Premium: 24) | 1,000 Mbps | 500-750 Mbps |
2.5 Gbps, also as 2.5 Gbps Premium | 24 months | 2,300 Mbps | 700-950 Mbps |
5 Gbps Premium | 24 months | 5,000 Mbps | 800-1,050 Mbps |
8.5 Gbps | 24 months | 8,200 Mbps | Depends on your own router |
A few things to know when reading these numbers:
- Speeds are measured over a cable. Community Fibre's headline speeds are for a single wired Ethernet connection to its router. As the Wi-Fi column shows, the faster tiers deliver well under their headline speed over Wi-Fi, even in the same room, so the top tiers mainly pay off for devices plugged in with a cable or for homes sharing the connection between many devices at once.
- Community Fibre quotes slightly different averages in places. Its own comparison table (data from 2 September 2026) gives 920 Mbps for 1 Gbps and 350 Mbps for 300 Mbps, while other pages give 1,000 Mbps and 300 Mbps. Check the figure shown for the specific deal you choose.
- The 8.5 Gbps tier is different. It launched on 17 September 2026, with the first customer connected in Beckton, Newham. It's sold on a 24-month term by phone, and Community Fibre's terms say you need your own compatible router with a 10 Gbps WAN port (the socket that connects the router to the incoming line).
- Unlimited data on every tier, with no line rental, because the service doesn't use a phone line.
The double-speed promotion (until 14 October 2026)
For orders placed directly with Community Fibre between 17 September and 11:59pm on 14 October 2026, its 24-month plans are sold at double the usual speed for the same price. Under the promotion, 75 Mbps becomes 150 Mbps, 150 Mbps becomes 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps becomes 1 Gbps, 1 Gbps becomes 2 Gbps (2,200 Mbps wired, 500-800 Mbps over Wi-Fi in the same room), 1 Gbps Premium becomes 2 Gbps Premium and 2.5 Gbps Premium becomes 5 Gbps Premium. The Essential 35 Mbps and 8.5 Gbps tiers aren't included.
If you're reading this after 14 October 2026, expect the standard speeds in the table above unless Community Fibre has launched a new offer. The comparison above shows the deals available at your address today.
Essential 35 Mbps: a social tariff with no eligibility check
Most broadband social tariffs are only for households receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits. Community Fibre's Essential 35 Mbps package is unusual because it's open to all new customers with no eligibility check.
It offers an average 35 Mbps in both directions with unlimited data, on a 12-month contract with no set-up fee. Its terms say the monthly price will not rise during the 12-month minimum term; after that, it rolls on to a monthly contract. It comes with a Linksys Dual-Band Mesh WiFi 5 router rather than the newer routers on faster tiers, and it still needs an engineer installation.
If you need a cheap, simple connection for one or two people, it's worth comparing against the cheapest deals from other providers at your address. Our cheap broadband deals page is a good place to start.
Extras and bundles
Community Fibre is mainly a broadband provider, and everything else is an optional add-on. Here's what it offers alongside the connection.
Routers and Wi-Fi
Every new broadband package except 8.5 Gbps includes a Linksys Mesh router at no extra cost. It remains Community Fibre's property. Mesh means the router can work with extra units placed around the home to spread the Wi-Fi signal. Packages of 1 Gbps and above come with WiFi 7 routers, the newest Wi-Fi standard. You manage the router in the Linksys app, which has guest Wi-Fi, parental controls, a speed test and device information.
You can use your own router, but Community Fibre says third-party routers are compatible but not supported, so if something goes wrong its support team won't help with your equipment. The exception is the 8.5 Gbps tier, where its terms say you need your own router with a 10 Gbps WAN port.
Premium WiFi is the whole-home option, sold on 24-month contracts with its Premium packages (subject to availability). It adds extra WiFi 7 Mesh routers set up by an engineer, priority support, and a guarantee: at least 50 Mbps of Wi-Fi in up to 12 rooms, across up to five bedrooms and three floors, or three months of free broadband. Before paying for extra kit, see our tips on improving your Wi-Fi signal.
Home phone (Calls)
Community Fibre doesn't have line rental, because it doesn't use a phone line. Instead, its optional Calls add-on is VoIP (voice over internet protocol): calls travel over your fibre broadband through a small phone adapter, and you can keep using your existing handset. What's included:
- Unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles. International calls and premium-rate numbers (such as 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870-0873 and 09 numbers) aren't included.
- A free app so you can make calls on the plan from your mobile.
- You can keep your number. Porting takes at least 12 working days after installation, with a temporary number in the meantime.
Two limitations matter. First, the service won't work in a power cut or if your broadband is down, so you'll need another way to call 999, such as a mobile. If you use a healthcare or telecare alarm, check with your alarm provider before switching. Second, old extension sockets around the house won't carry the service.
This isn't unique to Community Fibre: the UK's old analogue phone network is being retired, and the government expects most customers to have moved to digital landlines by the end of January 2027.
TV
Community Fibre TV is powered by Netgem and combines Freeview channels with streaming services you can add or remove. Community Fibre says there are over 70 services to choose from, including Netflix, NOW, Prime Video, Discovery+ (whose Premium tier includes TNT Sports), Hayu and Rakuten TV. Its channel listings describe over 240 live channels and over 100 apps, either included or available by subscription.
Because it's built around Freeview and add-on apps rather than a big subscription package, it suits households that pick and choose services. If you want a traditional pay-TV bundle with sports and movies built in, compare broadband and TV deals from other providers at your address.
Mobile and security
Community Fibre also sells two eSIM mobile plans: an Unlimited UK eSIM with data, calls and texts, and a Travel eSIM covering over 160 destinations. Both are 4G and 5G enabled, and you buy and manage them in the Community Fibre eSIM app. You'll need an eSIM-compatible, network-unlocked phone. Community Fibre's eSIM page doesn't name the mobile network, but ISPreview (May 2026) reported that the service runs on VodafoneThree (the Three UK side), with the platform provided by Gamma, and that it is a monthly rolling plan with a lower price for Community Fibre broadband customers.
Norton 360 Premium is also offered as an add-on when you build a bundle.
What do Community Fibre customers say?
Here's what review sites and industry awards say, with the dates we checked:
- Trustpilot: a TrustScore of 4.7 out of 5, rated "Excellent", from 97,542 reviews (checked 8 October 2026). Trustpilot reviews are left by customers who choose to post, so treat the score as a general signal rather than a formal survey.
- ISPA Awards 2025: Community Fibre won Best Consumer ISP (over 100,000 customers), Best Business ISP, Best Community Engagement and Sustainability Champion, as reported by ISPreview in November 2025.
- Other awards it lists: Community Fibre's own website lists Uswitch's Alternative Broadband Provider of the Year (2024), Which? Great Value Provider (2024 and 2025) and a December 2025 Opensignal report ranking it first in London for download speed, upload speed and reliability. These are the provider's own claims and we haven't independently checked them.
Community Fibre also says its network has run on average over 99.9% of the time since March 2022 (its own figure).
Price rises and contract terms
Like most providers, Community Fibre builds price rises into its contracts, and the rules differ depending on where you buy. Its published offer terms (checked October 2026) set out separate terms for deals bought directly from Community Fibre and for deals sold through comparison and affiliate sites like this one:
- Bought directly, 12 months: one fixed increase, set out in pounds and pence, from April 2027, and a further fixed increase once the 12 months are up.
- Bought directly, 24 months: fixed pounds-and-pence increases from April 2027 and again from April 2028, plus a fixed increase when the minimum term ends.
- Through comparison and affiliate sites, 12 months: no price rise during the 12-month minimum term, only a fixed increase once it ends.
- Through comparison and affiliate sites, 24 months: a fixed increase from April 2027 and a further fixed increase when the minimum term ends.
- Essential 35 Mbps: no price rise during the 12-month minimum term.
- Out of contract: a fixed increase every April.
Community Fibre's terms list the exact amounts for each package, and you should be shown them before you order, so check the terms for the specific deal you choose. Its offers also change often: during its July to August 2026 summer sale, for example, prices were locked for the whole contract, with the only rise at the end of the term.
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.
A few other terms worth knowing:
- Cooling-off: Community Fibre's terms give you 14 days from your order confirmation to change your mind and cancel.
- Satisfaction guarantee: Community Fibre's current satisfaction guarantee terms (updated June 2026) let you leave without cancellation fees within 30 days of a successful installation if you're not happy and it can't put things right. One older answer on its switching page still mentions 60 days, so check the terms when you order.
- Leaving early: after that, cancelling within your minimum term means a cancellation fee, and you need to give 30 days' notice.
- Consumer charter: Community Fibre signed the government's Telecoms Consumer Charter in March 2026.
Switching to Community Fibre
Switching is straightforward, but because Community Fibre runs its own network, it always involves an engineer visit.
Leaving your old provider
Since 12 September 2024, switching between broadband providers uses Ofcom's One Touch Switch process: you only contact the new provider, who arranges the switch with your old provider for the date you choose, whichever networks the two providers use.
With Community Fibre, One Touch Switching is an option you choose when you order. If you opt in, Community Fibre cancels your old service for you and your old broadband stays live until the new connection is working, so you're not left offline. If you'd rather handle it yourself, you need to tell your current provider once Community Fibre has installed, so your old service isn't cut off too early. Either way, check whether you're still in a minimum term with your current provider first, because an early-exit charge may apply. Our guide to switching broadband providers covers the steps in more detail.
Installation
You can't self-install Community Fibre: an engineer has to connect your home. Here's what to expect:
- Appointments are available Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm, and usually take up to two hours. You can change your appointment online up to 48 hours before.
- The engineer drills a small 6-8mm hole, wall-mounts the fibre socket, the modem (often called an ONT, the box that converts the fibre signal) and the Mesh router, tests the speeds and connects up to two of your devices.
- The router usually sits within about 10 metres of where the fibre enters your home. If you want it elsewhere, the Fibre To Your Room option runs up to 40 metres of fibre to a room you choose (not unconverted lofts, basements, garages or outbuildings).
- There's no installation or set-up fee on current packages.
If you rent, check with your landlord before an engineer drills. The postcode check above tells you whether your address can be served now.
Pros and things to consider
Strengths
- Its own 100% full fibre network, not reliant on Openreach's copper lines.
- Symmetrical speeds on every package, ideal for uploads, video calls and home working.
- A wide range, from 35 Mbps to 8.5 Gbps, with 12-month as well as 24-month contracts on many tiers.
- Essential 35 Mbps is available to anyone, with no eligibility check and no mid-contract rise.
- Mesh router included on every tier except 8.5 Gbps, with WiFi 7 on 1 Gbps and above, plus a Premium WiFi guarantee for larger homes.
- Free installation, unlimited data and no line rental.
- Strong Trustpilot score and ISPA 2025 Best Consumer ISP award.
Things to consider
- Only available where its own network has been built: mainly London, plus parts of Surrey and West Sussex.
- Engineer installation is always required, including drilling a small hole.
- Most offers include fixed mid-contract price rises in April, and the terms differ between direct and comparison-site deals, so read the terms of your deal.
- Over Wi-Fi, the multi-gigabit tiers deliver far less than their wired headline speeds.
- The Calls service won't work in a power cut, which matters if you rely on a landline or telecare alarm.
- Third-party routers aren't supported, yet the 8.5 Gbps tier requires your own.
- TV is Freeview plus apps rather than a full pay-TV package.
Community Fibre vs alternatives
If Community Fibre isn't available at your address, or you want to weigh it up against other options, these providers are worth comparing:
- Hyperoptic is another full fibre altnet backed by private equity (KKR). Hyperoptic says its network covers 2 million UK homes, mostly blocks of flats in cities and major towns (ISPreview, July 2026), so it's worth checking if you live in an apartment building. ISPreview noted that its fastest tier was still 1 Gbps, against Community Fibre's multi-gigabit range.
- Virgin Media runs its own cable network, which uses fibre to the street and coaxial cable into the home, so its coverage is separate from Community Fibre's and worth checking too.
- Rise Fibre sells full fibre over several companies' networks, Community Fibre's among them, as well as Openreach and CityFibre. If you like Community Fibre's network but want to compare another provider on it, check whether Rise is offered at your address.
- BT and Sky are worth comparing if you'd rather go with a household name or want a bigger TV bundle.
See our fibre broadband deals to compare full fibre packages side by side, or browse every provider on our broadband providers page. The simplest way to compare is the postcode search at the top of this page, which shows every provider on our comparison that can connect your home.
Community Fibre broadband FAQs
Is Community Fibre available in my area?
Community Fibre only sells where its own full fibre network has been built, which is mainly London plus parts of Surrey and West Sussex. Availability varies street by street, so enter your postcode in the comparison on this page to see whether Community Fibre can connect your home.
Does Community Fibre use the Openreach network?
No. Community Fibre is an altnet that builds, owns and operates its own 100% full fibre network rather than reselling Openreach lines. That's why it's only available in the areas where it has built, and why it can offer symmetrical speeds of up to 8.5 Gbps.
Are Community Fibre upload speeds the same as download speeds?
Yes. Every Community Fibre package is symmetrical, so the upload speed matches the download speed, from Essential 35 Mbps up to the 8.5 Gbps tier. That makes a big difference for video calls, cloud backups and uploading large files compared with part-fibre broadband.
Does Community Fibre put prices up mid-contract?
Most offers include fixed increases from April, set out in pounds and pence at sign-up, plus a rise when the contract ends (checked October 2026). Terms differ by channel: 12-month deals sold through comparison sites have no rise until the minimum term ends, and Essential 35 Mbps has none during its 12 months. Check the terms of your deal.
Who can get Community Fibre's Essential 35 Mbps package?
Essential 35 Mbps is open to all new customers in Community Fibre's coverage area, with no benefits or eligibility check, unlike most social tariffs. It's a 12-month contract with an average 35 Mbps in both directions, unlimited data and no mid-contract price rise.
Do I need a landline with Community Fibre?
No. Community Fibre broadband doesn't use a phone line and has no line rental. If you want a home phone, the optional Calls add-on runs over your broadband as a VoIP service, with unlimited UK calls, but it won't work in a power cut.
How long does Community Fibre installation take?
Installation usually takes up to two hours and must be done by a Community Fibre engineer, Monday to Saturday between 8am and 5pm. The engineer drills a small 6-8mm hole, fits the fibre socket, modem and router, and there's no set-up fee on current packages.
Can I use my own router with Community Fibre?
You can, but Community Fibre says third-party routers are compatible but not supported, so it won't help troubleshoot them. Every package except 8.5 Gbps includes a Linksys Mesh router; for 8.5 Gbps its terms say you need your own router with a 10 Gbps WAN port.
Can I cancel Community Fibre if I'm not happy?
You can cancel within 14 days of ordering under the cooling-off period. Community Fibre's satisfaction guarantee terms also let you leave without cancellation fees within 30 days of installation if you're unhappy and it can't fix the problem (one older page says 60 days, so check the terms). After that, a cancellation fee applies within the minimum term.
