Hey!Broadband gigafast - anyone here used it?

Zeeflyboy · 2 Mar 2021 at 14:12

I’m stuck with around 50Mbps at the moment where I live, but just had a letter through the door saying the following:

We will be connecting your area to our full fibre network soon, and it is eligible for the UK Government Gigabit Voucher Scheme, which aims to connect communities to Gigabit capable networks.

To ensure that you can benefit from this voucher and get connected to our Full Fibre network for free, register here until 21st of March 2021 and Hey!Broadband (our commercial brand), together with FWNetworks (our full fibre deployment company) will apply on your behalf.

The voucher received will be used to build the network to your home*. You will then be able to connect to internet speeds of 1000mbps (megabits per second), much faster than current superfast speeds of 30mbps.

In any case, the voucher will cover any installation and set up costs. By registering now, you will get the first month of connection free**.

*Following detailed design and survey we retain the right to not proceed with installation if we encounter major engineering difficulties that can raise costs beyond the maximum value of the voucher (currently £4,000). However, we expect this situation to be highly limited due to the amount of interest received. This is because we are allowed by DCMS to spread any excessive costs over multiple vouchers.

Anyone here using Hey!Broadband? It’s not a company I’ve heard of previously.

They seem to be offering their “star deal” of 1000mbps symmetrical for £40pm on an 18month contract.

I’m sorely tempted as I regularly download large amounts for gaming, and MSFS photogrammetry would benefit too! Trying to do some due diligence on them so thought I’d ask here.

Do I get stuck with them after 18months, or after the installation and contract is done can the other gigafast providers serve me once the infrastructure is in place?

cheers for any input!

On Holiday · 2 Mar 2021 at 14:17

Looks like a company out to reap money from the Government voucher scheme to be honest.

They've been around less than a year, have 256 IP addresses of their own, are single-homed via SSE to the global internet with no redundancy.
I can't see anything regarding peering at internet exchanges such as LINX/LONAP.
https://bgp.he.net/AS212426#_graph4

I'd tread very carefully about committing to any sort of contract with them based on the above.

You don't have to go with them to use the scheme, you can do so with Openreach.
https://openreach.secure.force.com/VoucherSite/#forms

Zeeflyboy · 2 Mar 2021 at 14:24

Cheers - so if I go there it tells me I'm not eligible and directs me to community fibre partnerships... "Sorry, currently your postcode is not associated with any voucher related broadband schemes but you are still eligible for a Community Fibre Partnership"

On Holiday · 2 Mar 2021 at 14:29

Zeeflyboy said:
Cheers - so if I go there it tells me I'm not eligible and directs me to community fibre partnerships... "Sorry, currently your postcode is not associated with any voucher related broadband schemes but you are still eligible for a Community Fibre Partnership"

Either of these?
https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/
https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/community-fibre-partnerships/how-to-apply-for-a-cfp

Zeeflyboy · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:03

So first link (despite entering full postcode) says it's showing suppliers than can deliver in the main town near where I live. I don't actually live there, I live in a nearby village. Don't know if that's relevant but there are four listed as active - Openreach, Boxbroadband, cerberus networks and Briant communications Sussex. It also says additional funding available in west sussex IF part of a group project which is the base £1500 plus a £2500 top up giving the £4000 hey!broadband referred to... it also has no where to apply, it just says "No separate application is required as eligible properties will receive the top-up funding when benefiting from a Rural Gigabit Voucher through a registered supplier.".

edit - interestingly enough I find no mention of Hey!broadband nor the other mentioned company Fibre&wireless/FWNetworks in either the active or inactive suppliers on that link either.

Second link just tells me congratulations I have FTTC and then gives me the option to register interest for a community fibre project.

Caged · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:12

You don't really have anything to lose by applying - the contract will have a cooling off period like any other, so you have 14 days after any service goes live to decide whether it's good or not.

Vince · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:18

My install is on the 22nd of this month for the 900/900 package. Am looking forward to it!

Zeeflyboy · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:25

@Vince with Hey!Broadband?

@Caged - they also seem to offer a moneyback guarantee if minimum guaranteed speed problems aren't fixed within 30 days of being notified, although obviously one would have to check the smallprint.

Vince · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:29

Zeeflyboy said:
@Vince with Hey!Broadband?

@Caged - they also seem to offer a moneyback guarantee if minimum guaranteed speed problems aren't fixed within 30 days of being notified, although obviously one would have to check the smallprint.

No gigafast through Vodafone. They let me have multiple static IP's so I can finally move from the provider ive been with for almost 20 years. Ahh I saw gigafast and assumed it was voda without reading properly.

Zeeflyboy · 2 Mar 2021 at 15:39

@Vince no worries... I wish it was vodafone because at least then I'd be dealing with a well known entity!

WoodyUK said:
They've been around less than a year, have 256 IP addresses of their own, are single-homed via SSE to the global internet with no redundancy.
I can't see anything regarding peering at internet exchanges such as LINX/LONAP.
https://bgp.he.net/AS212426#_graph4 s

Just to clarify for muppet here - I'm aware the single homed aspect means less redundancy than multi-homed so the concern is loss of service, and I assume similar concerns around network robustness if not doing peering. Just to clarify though the concern around 256 IP addresses of their own is what exactly?

After 18 months I assume as I'm then connected to the network it should be easy enough to get any provider?

Thanks for your input btw

Caged · 2 Mar 2021 at 16:31

I would expect them to get peering and extra IP blocks as they start making areas live to be honest, that initial /24 and a single link to SSE could just be what they needed to get started and build their internal systems up.

Phar · 20 Jul 2021 at 18:01

@Zeeflyboy

I've had Hey's symmetrical gigabit service since March-21. Works great and £40/month is a bargain.

Zeeflyboy · 20 Jul 2021 at 19:53

Thanks for the feedback @Phar

I filled out the details but haven’t heard anything since. Time will tell if they are actually going to do anything!

SaBBz · 25 Apr 2023 at 18:37

Bit of a thread revival here… Just had a letter through the door to say that Hey Broadband are in my area now. Gigabit at £27pm fixed for 24 months, which is considerably cheaper than I pay for BT. Their gigabit also offers 900 up and down, whereas BT’s is ‘only’ 125mbit up where I am.

Anyone with Hey at all and if so are they any good? Thanks.

kitfit1 · 5 May 2023 at 16:41

SaBBz said:
Bit of a thread revival here… Just had a letter through the door to say that Hey Broadband are in my area now. Gigabit at £27pm fixed for 24 months, which is considerably cheaper than I pay for BT. Their gigabit also offers 900 up and down, whereas BT’s is ‘only’ 125mbit up where I am.

Anyone with Hey at all and if so are they any good? Thanks.

Unless you have already taken the plunge ? It might be a good idea to have full a read through this complete thread: https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/unhappiness/4731504-heybroadband.html#Post4731504

MagicUK · 10 May 2023 at 09:19

kitfit1 said:
Unless you have already taken the plunge ? It might be a good idea to have full a read through this complete thread: https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/unhappiness/4731504-heybroadband.html#Post4731504

My mates with them and looks like the days of pipex when they got sold and overloaded network. Struggling to get out a contract.

See if they have a trial. Also pings are showing 18ms on the broadband monitors.

MagicUK · 10 May 2023 at 09:19

Broadband Quality Monitor | thinkbroadband

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On Holiday · 10 May 2023 at 21:55

kitfit1 said:
Unless you have already taken the plunge ? It might be a good idea to have full a read through this complete thread: https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/unhappiness/4731504-heybroadband.html#Post4731504

Sadly, this is what happens when people, who think they can run networks, are spinning up companies to take advantage of government schemes and payouts to get fibre to houses.

Caged · 10 May 2023 at 22:01

Have Hey!/F&W taken any public funds?

On Holiday · 11 May 2023 at 18:13

Caged said:
Have Hey!/F&W taken any public funds?

They're actively making claims from the DCMS - so yes, but to be fair it looks like they've actually sourced the absolute majority from private investment. Certainly enough funds to give them a fighting chance but Hey Broadband are still single-homed to a single carrier with no peering presence (on F&W either) so that goes to show how much they focus on a quality network..

There's an incredibly high amount of companies overbuilding all over the UK and spreading the market share too thinly, it's actually worse for the consumer because;
Initial build-out and good amount of months of the contract period is being paid for by government subsidies, grants and vouchers.
When the voucher money runs out.. Prices are going up.. Because none of the altnets are really going to have enough customers to make healthy margins.

It's such a lucrative business model that there really are new networks out there running 10s of thousands of customers with single points of failure even to the very core, which could still be hardware that's over 10 years old from what I've seen too.