ADSL Broadband

Compare ADSL broadband

ADSL was once the cutting edge of internet technology but it's now being phased out in favour of fibre broadband. Some homes and organisations in the UK still have an ADSL connection but the plan is for all ADSL broadband to be replaced with fibre in a couple of years' time.

What is ADSL broadband?

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It uses the same wires as a traditional telephone line but delivers a broadband connection and landline calls at the same time.

In the early 2000s, this made ADSL a big improvement on dial-up internet. You could talk on the phone while someone else in the house used Ask Jeeves or updated their Geocities page!

In the UK, the old-style telephone lines are being decommissioned as part of the fibre rollout. The plan is to switch off the original telecoms network completely in 2027. This includes landline phones as well as ADSL broadband. All landline services are moving to an internet-based service called Digital Voice. To find out more, read our guide to landlines being phased out.

How does ADSL broadband work?

ADSL takes the signals coming through the telephone wires and converts them into either voice services (your landline phone) or data (your broadband).

This is possible because the two types of signal are on different parts of the spectrum. But you do need to have the tech in place to do it. That's either two separate sockets or a splitter keeping the two types of signal apart.

ADSL works best at a short distance from the nearest telephone exchange. ADSL connections can be affected by:

• The distance from the exchange
• The age of the wiring
• Interference from electrical devices or analogue radio signals
• Vibration from roadworks or building works

How fast is ADSL broadband compared to fibre and cable?

ADSL is an older technology and significantly slower than fibre or cable.

Every home and business in the UK has the legal right to 'decent' broadband, which is defined as a minimum of 10 Mbps. If you're not getting this from your ADSL connection and there's nothing faster available to you, Ofcom says you can request an upgraded connection.

The speeds you can get from fibre and cable are in a completely different league. The fastest gigabit broadband packages available to UK users tend to be around the one-gigabit or two-gigabit mark - that's between 1,000 Mbps and a shade over 2,000 Mbps. But these speeds are much more than most people need.

The actual top speed you can get will depend on where you live and what package you choose. We've created a table to give you an idea.

If you're not sure what’s right for you, read our guide on what internet speed you need or use our bandwidth calculator.

Is ADSL cheaper than other types of broadband?

If your broadband connection is an older-style ADSL one, you'll probably be paying less for your broadband than people with fibre or cable. That's because ADSL is the slowest fixed broadband technology and you're getting a lot less bandwidth for your money.

It's worth upgrading to fibre when you get the opportunity. Even a slower hybrid fibre connection will give you triple the bandwidth compared to ADSL. Switching to a newer connection will transform your online experience and let you do so much more.

If you can't get a speedy fixed broadband connection where you live, it's worth finding out if you can request a better connection through the broadband universal service. If the total cost of the work required is below £3,400, you won't pay anything.

How to get ADSL

ADSL uses the same line as a traditional landline phone. So it will only work in your home if there's already an older-style copper connection. You can't get a new ADSL connection installed anymore.

ADSL delivers broadband and voice calls on the same line at the same time. To stop these two things interfering with each other, you'll need either:

• Separate broadband and phone sockets; or
• A microfilter or splitter to keep the different types of signal separate

If the home you're moving to already has an ADSL connection, your supplier should give you everything you need to get connected.

• Plug the filter (if you need one) into the master socket in the wall, which is often located in the hallway or somewhere else near the front of the property
• Plug your router into the socket labelled ADSL using the provided cable
• For the best speeds possible, try connecting your device to the router directly with an ethernet cable
• If you have a landline phone, it goes in the other socket of the microfilter

If you can't get online, contact your supplier for help.

Is ADSL available in my area?

While almost all UK homes can get ADSL broadband, there aren’t many providers that still offer it. At the time of writing, we’ve only got Sky and POP on our ADSL deals table.

And ADSL phone lines are set to be switched off by 2027, so these packages will start to disappear altogether in the next year or so..

But full fibre is widely available and you’ll be able to get much faster speeds for the same or even less money if you switch to a fibre contract.

If you're looking to switch, head to our main broadband comparison page to see all the options available for your address - which could be hybrid fibre, full fibre, cable or mobile broadband.

Which providers offer ADSL broadband?

Because the technology behind ADSL is being wound down, most providers can no longer offer ADSL broadband. But you can still get an ADSL contract with Sky or POP.

BT Openreach is the UK's default provider of telecoms networks, so most broadband providers buy network space from Openreach to deliver their services. In September 2023, BT Openreach brought in a policy called Stop Sell, which effectively put an end to the sale of old-style phone networks. There are some exceptions to this. But if fibre coverage is possible for your home, you can't get a new ADSL deal.

If cost is your concern about upgrading to fibre, take a moment to check out today's prices - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Alternatives to ADSL

ADSL broadband is being phased out as the UK's entire network of traditional phone lines is decommissioned. Fibre is now the default broadband connection but you do have other options.

Cable broadband is the biggest rival to fibre, although Virgin Media's ’cable broadband’ is actually delivered through a technology called HFC that combines coaxial cables with fibre lines.

Mobile broadband uses the same 4G and 5G networks as your mobile phone and turns those mobile signals into Wi-Fi. Mobile broadband is handy if you're changing accommodation a lot, which makes it a popular choice for student broadband.

It works best if you're in an area with good 5G coverage. Otherwise you're stuck with 4G broadband, which is a lot slower than a fixed connection.

Satellite broadband works basically anywhere, so it could be a winner if you're somewhere very remote without the option of a fibre connection. It's usually a lot more expensive than fibre. But it could be a lifesaver if it's your only way to connect.

Some people use satellite broadband as a way of getting a tourer or campervan online in remote places. But for regular caravan holidays, we'd recommend other types of connection. Check out our guide to caravan broadband for more info.

What other non fibre broadband plans are available?

Fibre broadband is the most reliable form of broadband available in the UK. And there has been an extensive fibre rollout over the last few years. So even if you couldn’t get fibre broadband at your property last time you switched. It's always worth taking a minute or two to check.

Use the address checker on our main broadband comparison page to see what's available where you live - the results might surprise you.

If you're still on an ADSL connection, it's possible that fibre has reached your nearest roadside cabinet. This means you can access a hybrid fibre connection. This is where there's still a phone line from your house to the cabinet but the cabinet itself connects to a fibre network.

Hybrid fibre internet will be significantly faster than the ADSL you're used to, although the deals tend to be cheaper than full fibre.

Our main broadband page will show you all the options we have on our panel suitable for your address, which might include full fibre, cable and mobile broadband.

Is it easy to switch broadband?

Yes, switching broadband in 2025 is a much simpler process than it might have been in the past.

Ofcom has brought in a measure called One Touch Switch that means you just have to sign up for a new contract with your chosen provider and don't need to worry about cancelling with your old one.

• Check the minimum term of your old contract is up to avoid paying exit fees
• Put your postcode into our address checker to see what lovely new offers are out there for you
• Compare the options and decide on which one's best for your needs
• Click on 'Get Deal' to go through to the provider's site and sign up there

Your new provider will tell your existing one that you're leaving and handle the switch so there's no overlap or time without internet. You'll need to pick a date for the new service to start. If you're switching from ADSL to fibre or cable, you’ll need to book an engineer visit.

Unfortunately, One Touch Switch only applies to fixed broadband connections. So if you're moving to mobile broadband, you will need to inform your old provider.

FAQs

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What can’t you do with ADSL broadband?

ADSL broadband has lower bandwidth than fibre or cable connections. There's a physical limit to the amount of data an ADSL line can transmit per second and this tops out at around 24 Mbps (megabits per second).

So the faster type of ADSL connection is just about enough to use a streaming platform like Netflix or make a video call. It's also more than enough for lower-bandwidth activities like checking and sending email.

ADSL broadband is not fast enough to let several people use streaming services or download video at once.

Symmetrical speeds are becoming a more common feature of modern broadband services. But with ADSL, the upload speeds are always much slower than the download speeds. This means you can't:

• Work effectively in the cloud
• Be sure of a high-quality, lag-free video call
• Do online gaming
• Host a server
• Stream your own video content

Do I need any special equipment for ADSL broadband?

Every broadband service needs a router to connect the external network to the network in your home and allow multiple devices to use the same connection.

ADSL also needs a modem. This is because it uses traditional telephone wires, which carry an analogue signal. The modem does the job of converting those analogue signals into digital ones for the router to manage. You can get combined modem/routers which do both jobs. You might need a splitter to separate the phone and broadband lines.

Your internet provider will usually supply the equipment you need to access its broadband service.

What is ADSL+?

ADSL+ is a slightly more advanced version of ADSL. It's speedier than the original version, although it's still significantly slower than fibre broadband.

You might get 10-11 Mbps with an older ADSL connection, which jumps to over 20 Mbps with ADSL+. But even the slowest fibre connections available will give you at least 30 Mbps.

The original ADSL type of connections are sometimes known as ADSL1, and ADSL+ is sometimes called ADSL2.

Is ADSL being discontinued?

Yes, ADSL broadband is being phased out and the old copper phone lines are being replaced with fibre optic cables.

The government says that the deadline for retiring the old phone network is 2027. The original deadline was 2025, but it was put back a bit to ensure a smoother transition.

So in a year’s time, ADSL broadband will be a thing of the past. If you have fixed-line internet, it'll be either via a full fibre connection or through Virgin's combination of cable and fibre (known as HFC).

Page last updated: 16 February 2026