VM vs OpenReach Opinions

Openreach FTTP is a better quality connection generally and you also have a wide range of OR resellers to choose from. I suspect VM will be aware of the FTTP choice you have available locally and may well offer you a good deal to stay (although recent reports suggest that this would be in return for longer 24 month contracts). If you have a reliable VM connection (you seem to) then that could save you some hassle and a new hole in the wall. You might need to actually cancel to get the best offers and be prepared to follow through. Let us know how you get on. Also remember that you will lose any VM email accounts if you do switch. Some suggest using the new One Touch Switching service but others have mentioned complications with this. 

Found myself in the same situation a few years ago. Had broadband and phone with VM. I wanted to move to broadband only but VM refused to come up with any sensible offer that did not involve keeping the phone.

OR had recently fitted fibre to the telephone poles in the street and BT had first refusal to begin with when the fibre went live so I switched to BT.

A brand new fibre connection via Openreach has been a significant improvement on the 20+ year old connection I had from VM (originally NTL).

Now the fibre is in place, the number of providers has expanded significantly. BT pricing has crept up and other providers are now offering 900 Mbps from £25 per month.

As you would move to a totally separate infrastructure, you have the option to overlap VM and any new OR connection where you can try out a new OR service. This will mean you will avoid any likelihood of being without broadband during any overlap period and you have your 14 day cooling off period with the new provider. In the event there was a problem with the new service you could fall back to VM. If the new OR service worked out as you want you would then just give your 30 days notice to VM when you are outside your minimum term with VM.

Reasons to move to an Openreach ISP:

• Better, more reliable, technology used.
• An actual choice of ISP over the same infrastructure.
• 'Easier' to use own router, or even use the new ISPs if you prefer.
• Cheaper.
• Lower latency (I get 9 - 10ms with IDNet).
• Better, in most cases, support if something does happen.
• OTS makes it, in my experience, really straight forward to switch (Didn't even need to discuss with VM when I did it in March this year).

There is absolutely no reason for you to stick with VM.

We are pleased to read our street will have Openreach FTTP by the end of 2026.

We are one of the lucky ones in 2017 VM RFoG was installed here and the internet service has been very good and reliable. But the VM Customer Service is now so degraded it is utterly abysmal and I find this to be quite unacceptable. 

Thanks guys.

You've just confirmed what I was thinking anyway.

My plan was to get the ball rolling before our VM contract ends.  Just in case for some reason it's no good.  It'd allow us to run side by side for a little bit.

As for email, the last time I checked it, it was still blueyonder by Telewest so I've got no issue with it being deleted <grin>.

It'll be weird not being with VM though as we've been with them for so  long, but money talks.

Our contract runs until September, so I won't be pressing any buttons just yet.  I'll let you know how we get on and if we do get any kind of offer from VM.