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Budget Openreach ISP

TalkTalk UK

A budget-positioned UK broadband and pay-TV provider with around 3.4 million broadband customers, based in Salford and owned since 2021 by a private-equity consortium led by Macquarie and Toscafund. TalkTalk sells the same Openreach line as BT, Sky and Plusnet, at lower prices, in exchange for weaker customer service. This page is an honest 2026 read of the deals, the complaints record and the contact lines.

See TalkTalk deals Contact TalkTalk

At a glance

Founded 2003 (Carphone Warehouse demerger) ~3.4 million UK broadband customers Salford HQ, Greater Manchester Openreach FTTC and FTTP network

Founded

2003

Demerged from Carphone Warehouse

UK customers

~3.4M

Broadband connections

Top FTTP speed

900 Mbps

Future Fibre 900 download average

Ofcom complaints

10 / 100k

Worst bracket, Q3 and Q4 2025

About

Who is TalkTalk?

Registered as TalkTalk Telecom Group plc, TalkTalk is the UK’s fourth-largest fixed-line broadband provider. It was demerged from Sir Charles Dunstone’s Carphone Warehouse in 2003, listed on the London Stock Exchange, then taken private in 2021 by a consortium led by Macquarie Capital and Toscafund.

TalkTalk is positioned as the budget end of the big-name UK ISP market. It sells broadband on the Openreach network (the same physical fibre and copper lines as BT, Sky, Plusnet and most other UK providers), plus a smaller streaming-TV service launched in 2024.

TalkTalk is regulated by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. Complaints that TalkTalk does not resolve within eight weeks can be escalated to the CISAS alternative-dispute-resolution scheme.

Current deals

TalkTalk broadband deals available now

Headline prices verified on . TalkTalk changes promotional pricing regularly and bakes annual rises into the contract, so each card links straight to talktalk.co.uk for the live price at the moment you click.

Entry fibre (FTTC)

TalkTalk Fibre 35

Download

38 Mbps

Average download

Upload

9 Mbps

Average

£26 /month

24 months . £0 upfront

  • Wi-Fi Hub router
  • Unlimited usage
  • FTTC over copper line

Best for

A 1 to 2-person household with light browsing and SD streaming

See on TalkTalk
Best value where Full Fibre is live

Entry full fibre (FTTP)

TalkTalk Future Fibre 150

Download

152 Mbps

Average download

Upload

30 Mbps

Average

£29 /month

24 months . £0 upfront

  • Wi-Fi Hub router
  • Unlimited usage
  • Full Fibre to the home

Best for

A family of 3 to 4 streaming HD and working from home

See on TalkTalk

Mid full fibre

TalkTalk Future Fibre 500

Download

525 Mbps

Average download

Upload

75 Mbps

Average

£32 /month

24 months . £0 upfront

  • Wi-Fi Hub router
  • Unlimited usage
  • Symmetric-ish upload

Best for

Four or more people gaming, streaming 4K, video-calling all day

See on TalkTalk
Cheapest big-name 900 Mbps

Top full fibre

TalkTalk Future Fibre 900

Download

900 Mbps

Average download

Upload

110 Mbps

Average

£38 /month

24 months . £0 upfront

  • Wi-Fi Hub router
  • Unlimited usage
  • Power-user upload

Best for

Power users, large households, anyone moving large files

See on TalkTalk

Selectra is independent. TalkTalk does not pay us to feature any of these tariffs. We list its public deals so you can compare them like-for-like with other Openreach providers.

Explore

What TalkTalk actually sells

Each TalkTalk product line in 2026 and a link to the deep-dive page that goes through prices, contracts and the small print.

Broadband

Fibre 35 and 65 on the FTTC copper-and-fibre network, plus Future Fibre 150, 500 and 900 on Openreach FTTP. Same physical line as BT, Sky and Plusnet, lower headline prices.

Open page

TalkTalk TV

A small Apple TV-style streaming box launched in 2024. IP-only, no satellite dish, monthly add-ons for Sky TV, Netflix and NOW Sports. Catalogue is smaller than BT or Sky.

Open page

TalkTalk Business

A separate B2B division selling SME broadband, leased lines and hosted Cloud Voice to UK businesses. Different prices, contracts and account management to home TalkTalk.

Open page

Cancel TalkTalk

The cancellation phone line (0345 172 0088), the 30-day notice rule, mid-contract exit fees and the price-rise free-leave window. Be ready for the retentions team.

Open page

Contact TalkTalk

Full directory of TalkTalk phone lines, opening hours, live-chat URL, social channels and the four-step complaints procedure (TalkTalk → 8 weeks → CISAS).

Open page

TalkTalk reviews

Trustpilot, Ofcom and Which? scores in one neutral read. We are honest about TalkTalk being the most-complained-about UK broadband provider in Q3 and Q4 2025.

Open page

Reviews snapshot

What customers actually say about TalkTalk

Scores collected from each platform on . We do not pick the flattering one and ignore the rest, we show all of them and explain what they actually mean.

Trustpilot, talktalk.co.uk

1.5 / 5

~50,000 reviews

Mostly negative

TalkTalk’s main Trustpilot page sits firmly in the “Bad” band. Recurring negatives: long phone waits, slow complaint handling, mid-contract price rises and difficulty cancelling without speaking to retentions.

Ofcom complaints, broadband Q4 2025

10 / 100k customers

Industry average ~8

Mostly negative

In Ofcom’s latest broadband complaints league table, TalkTalk recorded 10 complaints per 100,000 customers. It was the most-complained-about UK broadband provider for two consecutive quarters (Q3 and Q4 2025), tied with Vodafone.

Which? customer survey

Bottom tier overall rating

Below industry average

Mostly negative

In the latest Which? broadband survey, TalkTalk sits in the bottom tier of major ISPs. Reliability and value-for-money scores are below industry average, customer-service and complaint-handling scores are weakest.

MoneySavingExpert forum

Critical forum sentiment

Hundreds of threads

Mostly negative

The dominant view on MSE is that TalkTalk is cheap and works fine while it works, but that the moment something goes wrong (a fault, a price rise, a cancellation) the experience becomes painful and time-consuming.

Read the full TalkTalk review

Selectra expert verdict

Independent read, no commission shaping

TalkTalk is the cheapest of the big-name UK ISPs. The same Openreach line that BT sells for £30 to £40 a month sits on TalkTalk for £26 to £38. If your line is delivered cleanly on day one and you never have to call customer service, you will save real money over a 24-month contract.

The trade-off is real and well documented. Ofcom has flagged TalkTalk as the most-complained-about UK broadband provider for two consecutive quarters (Q3 and Q4 2025) at 10 complaints per 100,000 customers, against an industry average of around 8. Trustpilot sits at ~1.5 / 5. Cancellation requires a phone call, the retentions team haggles hard, and exit fees apply mid-contract. If you are price-sensitive and willing to accept that service can be slow, TalkTalk works. If you know you will need responsive support, Plusnet (same Openreach line, half the complaint rate) or a smaller alt-net is a safer pick.

Verdict last reviewed 19 May 2026.

FAQ

TalkTalk broadband, TV and contracts, your questions answered

Is TalkTalk broadband any good in 2026?

TalkTalk delivers what it says on the tin: a cheap broadband connection on the Openreach network, the same physical line as BT, Sky and Plusnet. Where it falls behind is service. Ofcom Q4 2025 placed TalkTalk in the worst bracket for broadband complaints (10 per 100,000 customers), tied with Vodafone and ahead of the industry average of around 8. Trustpilot sits around 1.5 / 5. If your line works without faults you will probably get good value. If it does not, expect long phone waits.

How much does TalkTalk broadband cost per month?

As of May 2026, the cheapest TalkTalk fibre tier (Fibre 35) starts from around £26 a month on a 24-month contract. Future Fibre 150 (Full Fibre to the home) is around £29 a month, the 500 Mbps tier is around £32 and the top 900 Mbps Future Fibre is around £38. Prices include built-in annual rises (typically £3 to £4 a month each April) written into the contract on day one.

Does TalkTalk use the same network as BT?

Yes. TalkTalk is an Openreach reseller. The physical fibre line that comes into your home (FTTC for the slower tiers, FTTP for Future Fibre) is identical to what BT, Sky, Plusnet and most other UK ISPs sell. The differences are price, router, customer service and the small print, not the underlying connection.

Why is TalkTalk so much cheaper than BT or Sky?

TalkTalk runs a leaner operation: less spend on TV content rights, smaller call centres, no premium router brand and a budget-positioned brand image. That keeps headline prices lower. The trade-off shows up in the Ofcom complaints table, the Which? survey and the Trustpilot score. You are saving money on the bill and accepting more friction if anything goes wrong.

How do I contact TalkTalk?

The main TalkTalk customer service number is 0345 172 0088, open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 18:00. Sales, business, complaints and accessibility have separate lines, all on our TalkTalk contact page. The official complaints route ends with the CISAS alternative-dispute-resolution scheme.

Can I cancel TalkTalk easily?

No. Cancellation requires a phone call to 0345 172 0088 and a 30-day notice. The retentions team is known for haggling hard before letting you leave. Mid-contract exit fees apply on the remaining months of your minimum term. The only fee-free windows are the final 30 days of the contract and a 30-day window after any above-inflation price rise. Full detail on our cancel TalkTalk page.