Brsk review | Is Brsk broadband a good choice?

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Thursday, 21 March 2024 at 16:56 by Deborah
Brsk was created with the aim of upgrading broadband infrastructure to full fibre in UK towns across the north that other broadband providers have largely ignored. Launching July 2021 in a tiny village called Cottingley, its seen a successful rapid rise ever since and is now bringing superfast and affordable internet to homes across West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. The only real downside is its limited availability, but if you’re reading this review chances are you might be one of the lucky 450K homes that now have access. Will it the right broadband provider for you? Read our review to find out more.
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Is Brsk broadband a good choice?

Our overall rating: 9 out of 10

Brsk is part of a new wave of alternative network providers (altnet) offering very fast full fibre broadband using its own network. This means it doesn’t have to rely on Openreach or Virgin Media for their rollout plans, so it’s taken charge on bringing the fastest broadband to remoter locations often overlooked by the other networks.

Brsk offers better prices in comparison for its speeds than many of the other big providers, too. It also promises no mid-contract price hikes, meaning your price won’t change across the length of your contract. And it doesn’t stop there, Brsk also offers the flexibility to choose a month-by-month contract across all of its plans.

The positives

  • High speeds
  • No mid-contract rises
  • No set-up fee

The negatives

  • Limited availability, certain north west locations only

In our full review we take a look at the pros and cons of each area in more detail: speed, full fibre review, cost, setup and customer service.

How fast is Brsk broadband?

Very fast! As a full fibre service on its own network, Brsk is much quicker than most other providers. It uses its own full fibre connection to deliver lightning-fast speeds to households. If you are in a rural area this will very likely be the fastest – and sometimes the only – service available for you.

But remember, where you live will also play a big factor. We’ll list everything below, but you’ll also need to check your postcode to see what is currently available.

Speed is often the biggest consideration when choosing a broadband package. If you have multiple people using the internet at one time, then a higher speed and bandwidth will be essential. Equally, if it’s a small household using the internet for everyday usage, paying for business-grade bandwidth will probably end up being a waste.

You should decide what speed is right for you, based on your broadband habits at home. Here’s a handy guide to help show what bandwidth usage your different applications need.

Brsk broadband speeds

There are three full fibre options at different speeds, all quicker than your average offering. All of Brsk’s packages offer ultrafast symmetrical connections too, meaning that your upload speeds (think lag-free gaming or needing to send large files for work) are identical to your download speeds.

BetterNet100

Their entry-level offers an average download and upload speed of 100Mbps. A plan that is great for most households and and can easily cope with remote working, 4K streaming and 5-9 devices running alongside each other.

BetterNet500

Incredibly fast connection, great for large households, multiple devices and downloading and streaming movies and videogames in UHD (ultra high definition). This has an average download and upload speed of 500Mbps.

BetterNet1000

Brsk's fastest service. This full fibre package offers users an impressive average download and upload speed of 900Mbps which will easily cover all high-use working and gaming internet usage in large, busy households.

Brsk full fibre review

What exactly is full fibre?

Full fibre is the fastest available internet in the UK. And all of Brsk’s plans are completely full fibre running on their own fibre optic network.

Around two-thirds of homes in the UK can now access ultrafast broadband via fibre-optic technology called ‘G.fast’ or ‘Fibre To The Premises’ (FTTP).

FTTP, also known as full fibre, is the next generation of broadband. It removes the need to rely on copper phone lines and instead connects fibre cables straight to your home. This means there’s no slowdown on the data between the street cabinet and your property and the speed and strength are much more powerful than any previous fibre broadband technology as a result.  Common internet issues like buffering and outages become almost nonexistent.

This technology will future-proof homes and businesses across the UK because, once it’s installed, properties won’t need to install new cables for their broadband for decades.

Enter your postcode to see packages available in your area:

Brsk UK coverage

Brsk is transforming the digital infrastructure of North West England. Having received access to funding of £259 Brsk’s ambition is to provide over 1 million homes homes and businesses in towns, villages across West Yorkshire, Manchester, the West Midlands and Lancashire with full fibre by 2026,

Our Brsk broadband rating for speed: 9

Does Brsk broadband have reliable connection?

Brsk runs on its own full fibre network to deliver its internet services. This is different to most other suppliers (main exception Virgin Media and other smaller altnet companies) as they normally rely on Openreach’s copper network for their connections. This seems to be a good thing – most of the time – as it doesn’t have to depend on another company to fix any faults or dictate its rollout locations.

Brsk isn’t currently signed up to Ofcom’s voluntary code practice on better broadband speeds. Customers scores are mixed, but mainly above average, on its Trustpilot score for connectivity.

Our Brsk broadband rating for connectivity: 9

How much does Brsk broadband cost?

Starting from just £25 a month, Brsk offers much faster packages for less than equivalent plans from the big providers. It’s great value and there are no one-off upfront set-up costs or fees.

Average price guide

How long are Brsk contracts?

Brsk contracts are either month-to-month or 24-months. The price is reflective and the monthly payment is less if selecting the longer commitment.

Does Brsk have any add-on options?

BetterTV

Brsk has a TV add-on service, BetterTV. For £10 extra a month you can choose an entertainment package that includes a 4KTV box, plus mobile app, giving you access to over 170 TV channels.

BetterPhone

There is an option to add a phone line as an add-on service. This currently costs an extra £3 on top of whatever broadband plan you select. This phone line is not a traditional landline, instead it is delivered via your broadband line in the form of VoIP (voice over IP). You can keep your existing phone number in most cases.

Rewards

Brsk has a decent referral programme. Refer a friend and you’ll both get a £75 Amazon voucher. Your referral must sign up or a BetterNet 24-month contract and use your code.

BetterWifi

For an extra £8 a month you can get additional devices installed by Brsk technicians to ensure your WiFi signal reaches absolutely everywhere in your home, with a guarantee of 10Mbps.

Does Brsk put up its broadband prices every year?

No, unlike most other broadband providers it doesn’t raise its prices every spring. Brsk promises transparent pricing which include ‘no nasty unexpected price hikes, because that would be really uncool’.

Our Brsk broadband rating for cost: 8

How easy is it to get Brsk set up?

The average time to get the service set up and activated is an impressive 72 hours. Depending on the complexity of work required, your installation may take longer. There is no costs for set up.

Brsk runs on an overhead connection using existing telephone poles. From these, they install new fibre cables into your home. Multiple homes can be reached from one pole.

Brsk Wi-Fi routers

All new customers signing up will get the Technicolor DGA0122. Featuring Wi-Fi 5, this dual band router is a reliable piece of modern equipment, offering a good range across a family home.

Our Brsk broadband rating for setup, installation & equipment: 9

Does Brsk broadband have good customer service?

We normally look to Ofcom to help rate broadband providers on their customer service, but because of their market size and relative newness, Brsk hasn’t been reviewed on the latest report.

Trustpilot gives Brsk a really great 4.7 for its customer support score with 88% scoring the provider 5-stars. There’s plenty of positive feedback that points towards prompt, polite and friendly service. Have a look at the latest reviews here.

How to contact Brsk

If you’d like to speak to a human being, Brsk customer service team is available Monday to Sunday, 8am-8pm.

Via phone: 02039 255 299

Email: info@brsk.co.uk

Check network status:Check here for any current faults

Facebook:Facebook/Brsk

Our Fibrus rating for customer service: 9

We’ve added up everything from each category making our overall average Brsk broadband rating score: 44/50

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