Onestream broadband launched into the UK market in 2018.
As one of the newest broadband providers, little is known about Onestream and experiences of what they offer are limited to a small percentage of UK consumers.
What we do know is that Onestream has a wholesale agreement with TalkTalk and Vodafone to use their internet cables, which themselves run on the BT Openreach network, as do most UK broadband providers. However, Onestream’s services are operated fully independently of TalkTalk and Vodafone.
Onestream bills itself as a budget broadband provider, with its website proclaiming that it offers “Rock ‘n’ Roll Broadband”.
Let’s look at how Onestream’s services stack up against other UK service providers.
What Broadband Speeds Does Onestream Offer?
Consumers in the UK typically consider several factors when choosing a broadband service. A combination of both speed and price tend to come under consideration, while many consumers will take out a broadband package linked to another service, most commonly a TV subscription although they may get offered deals from a mobile phone provider or another source.
Although Onestream broadband does offer “calls” packages that bolt onto their broadband deals, consumers do have the option of taking broadband only. However, its most basic package, called Flow Unlimited and offering average speeds of 11MB, is currently only available with calls.
Onestream broadband offers something a little different to other UK providers in that it also offers a 17MB package. Most other UK internet services that offer a basic package at 10MB or 11MB then move straight into superfast packages over 30MB.
Onestream’s 17MB broadband package is also available with calls but with the option of being broadband only.
Overall, Onestream broadband currently offers four internet speeds and packages, which we have detailed in the table below.
Onestream Broadband Package Name | Advertised Average Speed |
---|---|
Flow Unlimited* | 11MB |
Fibre Unlimited | 17MB |
Fibre Max Unlimited | 35MB |
Superfibre Unlimited | 63MB |
*Flow Unlimited is only available from Onestream with calls and not as an individual broadband package.
Although Onestream has a wholesale supply deal with Vodafone, they have not currently announced any plans to move into ultrafast broadband, which Vodafone are currently doing. This would reflect other budget broadband providers such as Plusnet, none of whom are currently planning to start providing pricier ultrafast services.
Onestream Broadband Speeds
Due to a ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that came into effect in May 2018, internet service providers (ISP’s) in the United Kingdom are now required to advertise average speeds on the basis of what at least half of their customers can receive at peak times. Prior to this ruling, ISP’s could advertise higher headline speeds, so long as only 10% of customers were being provided with such a speed.
Although this ruling means the advertised speeds you see when looking for your ideal broadband package are more accurate, the speed you can receive, and use, depends on several variables. Use a broadband speed checker to get an even more accurate idea of the internet speeds you can expect to receive, from Onestream broadband or any other provider.
While Onestream advertises within ASA guidelines, on their homepage the headline speed shown is what they call the “Top Download Speed”, with the average download speed featured further down their grid.
However, if you navigate to Onestream’s specific broadband page, they do advertise the average download speed as the prominent figure.
How Does Onestream Broadband’s Average Speeds Compare with Others?
As of February 2020, the latest research from Ofcom had been conducted in November 2018 and published in May 2019. That research did not include Onestream broadband, so at present there are no sources of valid performance comparison data for Onestream broadband.
If you’re currently with another broadband provider, then you can check your current speed with a speed checker and compare how Onestream broadband says they would perform against this.
Onestream Broadband Offers and Deals
At present, Onestream broadband offers a combination of broadband only deals and broadband plus calls packages for their lower speed internet packages.
Although the Onestream broadband homepage makes it look like 24-month contracts are offered as standard, Onestream’s 11MB broadband plus calls package is only available as a 12-month contract. Confusingly, if you click through to the broadband page we mentioned earlier you can also get Onestream’s 63MB package on a 12-month contract.
While your Onestream “Super Dooper Router” and line rental is free, Onestream does charge £9.99 for delivery of the router, which you won’t discover until going through the checkout unless you hit the “Offer Details” on the homepage.
Another potential source of confusion is that where Onestream’s deals are listed on their broadband page there is no “Offer Details” button, so if you sign up via this method you won’t discover the out of contract price or learn about the £9.99 delivery price until you’re going through the checkout process.
We’ve summarised all Onestream broadband’s packages in the table below.]
The thing that immediately stands out about Onestream’s pricing is their 63MB packages. Why would a customer sign up for a 24-month contract with a significant price increase halfway through?
Onestream Broadband Pricing vs Competitors
Now that we’ve looked at all Onestream’s packages, let’s look at how they compare to other UK ISP’s. We’ve included both Onestream’s 11MB and 17MB packages in the basic broadband comparison, and for the highest broadband tier have included both the 12 and 24-month 63MB packages.
Onestream 11MB and 17MB Broadband Pricing vs Competitors
ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plusnet | Unlimited | 10MB | 18 months | Free | £19.99 for 18 months, then £30.98 |
EE | Standard Broadband | 10MB | 18 months | Free | £20 a month for 18 months, then £32 |
BT | Broadband | 10MB | 24 months | £29.99 | £26.99 for 24 months, then £32.99 |
Shell Energy | Fast Broadband | 11MB | 18 months | Free | £19.99 |
Sky | Essential | 11MB | 18 months | £19.95 | £20 for 18 months, then £25 |
TalkTalk | Fast Broadband | 11MB | 24 months | Free | £19.95 for 24 months, then £30 |
Now Broadband | Brilliant Broadband | 11MB | 12 months | Free | £18 for 12 months, then £25.99 |
Onestream Broadband | Flow Unlimited with Uptime Calls* | 11MB | 12 months | £9.99 | £17.99** |
Onestream Broadband | Fibre Unlimited | 17MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £19.99 per month for 24 months, then £27.99 per month. |
Onestream Broadband | Fibre Unlimited with Uptime Calls | 17MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £23.99** |
*Flow Unlimited only available with calls.
**Cost unknown after initial 12/24-month contract period.
Onestream broadband’s flow unlimited comes in cheaper than all the other competitors but is let down by the £9.99 cost to have your router delivered.
Onestream’s fibre unlimited package is potentially excellent value if it delivers the advertised average speed on a consistent basis, delivering speeds that could 50% quicker at a price on par or cheaper than most other competitors.
Onestream Broadband Fibre Max Unlimited 35MB Pricing vs Competitors
ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Onestream Broadband | Fibre Max Unlimited | 35MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £22.99 per month for 24 months, then £34.99 per month. |
Shell Energy | Superfast Fibre Broadband | 35MB | 18 months | Free | £24.99 |
Plusnet | Unlimited Fibre | 36MB | 18 months | Free | £22.99 for 18 months, then £39.48 |
EE | Fibre | 36MB | 18 months | Free | £24 for 18 months, then £37 |
Now Broadband | Fab Fibre | 36MB | 12 months | Free | £25 a month for 12 months, then £35.99 |
BT | Superfast Fibre Essential | 36MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £27.99 a month for 24 months, then £32.99 |
TalkTalk | Faster Fibre | 38MB | 24 months | Free | £22.45 for 24 months, then £36 |
Onestream broadband is again price competitive at this tier, with only TalkTalk being cheaper on a monthly basis, although the £9.99 fee may remain a problem for some customers. While, along with Shell Energy, Onestream broadband advertises the lowest average speeds, the table below highlights the findings from Ofcom’s consumer research published in May 2019, showing that none of the UK ISP’s hit their advertised average speed.
As a result, Onestream might be giving you a good deal at the advertised average speed and price offered.
ISP | Advertised Average Speed | Performance range over a 24-hour period | Performance range at peak times (8pm – 10pm, weekdays) |
---|---|---|---|
Plusnet | 36MB | 31.4MB – 33.1MB | 31.0MB – 32.8MB |
EE | 36MB | 32.5MB – 34.8MB | 32.2MB – 34.5MB |
Sky/Now | 36MB | 32.3MB – 34.2MB | 32.0MB – 34.0MB |
BT | 36MB | 26.6MB – 29.2MB | 26.5MB – 29.0MB |
TalkTalk | 38MB | 31.6MB – 33.6MB | 31.4MB – 33.4MB |
Onestream Broadband Superfibre Unlimited 63MB Pricing vs Competitors
ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sky | Broadband Superfast | 59MB | 18 months | £19.95 | £27 for 18 months, then £32 |
Shell Energy | Superfast Fibre Plus Broadband | 63MB | 18 months | Free | £34.99 |
Now | Super Fibre | 63MB | 12 months | Free | £30 a month for 12 months, then £43.99 |
Onestream Broadband | Superfibre Unlimited | 63MB | 12 months | £9.99 | £26.99 per month for 12 months, then £39.99 per month. |
Onestream Broadband | Superfibre Unlimited | 63MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £26.99 per month for 12 months, then £39.99 per month. |
Plusnet | Unlimited Fibre Extra + Line only | 66MB | 18 months | Free | £26.99 for 18 months, then £40.98 |
TalkTalk | Superfast Fibre | 67MB | 24 months | Free | £24.95 for 24 months, then £41 |
EE | Fibre Plus | 67MB | 18 months | Free | £28 for 18 months, then £42 |
BT | Superfast Fibre 2 | 67MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £34.99 for 24 months, then £47.99 |
Onestream broadband again offers very competitive pricing at this tier, although we don’t understand why anyone would be willing to sign up for a 24-month contract with a price increase halfway through.
As at the 35MB tier, Ofcom found that UK ISP’s struggle to hit their advertised speeds, as detailed in the table below.
ISP | Advertised Average Speed | Performance range over a 24-hour period | Performance range at peak times (8pm – 10pm, weekdays) |
---|---|---|---|
Sky | 59MB | 56.3MB – 61.0MB | 55.9MB – 60.7MB |
Plusnet | 66MB | 58.0MB – 61.4MB | 57.6MB – 61.0MB |
BT | 67MB | 62.4MB – 64.6MB | 62.1MB – 64.3MB |
TalkTalk | 67MB | 61.0MB – 64.5MB | 60.5MB – 64.1MB |
EE | 67MB | 60.0MB – 64.9MB | 59.4MB – 64.5MB |
How Does Onestream Broadband’s Pricing Compare Overall?
Onestream broadband’s pricing is generally competitive at all levels of the UK broadband market, although a potential downside of its basic broadband is that you need to take out a calls package with its internet to take advantage of their cheapest pricing.
Onestream broadband’s 17MB broadband only package is potentially excellent value and will be the UK’s best budget broadband if Onestream can deliver those speeds at £19.99 per month.
One downside across all Onestream’s packages is that you’re always going to be paying the £9.99 delivery charge for the router, while many other ISP’s will charge no upfront costs at all.
Onestream Broadband Customer Service Performance
At time of writing, Onestream had a relatively poor customer rating across various online platforms.
Onestream broadband is currently rated as 1.7 out of 5 stars on broadband.co.uk and 2.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot.
Although Onestream broadband does not seem to maintain an active Twitter presence, customers can still try to get in touch with them via @Onestream_UK, although when we completed this review the last time they replied to a tweet was over 2 months ago. However, as Onestream has a low-profile Twitter presence with a very low number of followers, it’s likely many assume they’re not available here and so contact them by other means.
Onestream broadband contact number
Unlike most other ISP’s, Onestream does not have an extensive help section on its website. However, customers can request a callback via a form at the bottom of their homepage, call “The Stream Team” on 0333 241 4449, or email [email protected].
Summing Up Onestream Broadband
Onestream broadband offers competitively priced broadband at all tiers, and while the £9.99 standard upfront cost may put people off, if you’re looking for a budget broadband package then their 17MB broadband only package is potentially excellent value at £19.99 per month, which is the same price or cheaper than most other UK ISP’s.
Their customer reviews are another potential drawback. This is common among smaller ISP’s as they don’t have the same resources and budget to deal with customer issues, but if you’re happy to take your chances on this front there is potential value to be had from a Onestream broadband package.