Origin Broadband

Origin broadband – launched in 2011 from Yorkshire – although one of the smaller providers on the market, have continued to set themselves apart by marketing themselves as a cheap alternative to bigger, more well-known competition. Let’s take a look.

Overview

Average Download Speeds	11Mbps – 67Mbps
Average Upload Speeds	1Mbps – 17Mbps
Broadband Type	ADSL & fibre (FTTC)
Home Phone-line Rental	Yes
TV/Entertainment Bundles	No
Cost	from £17.99 per month

Broadband packages and speeds

Origin offers three different broadband packages at 11Mbps, 36Mbps and 67Mbps in average download speeds, respectively.

Origin’s first package at 11Mbps, is a standard (ADSL) broadband connection. Because copper telephone wires are used to deliver this connection, an active phone line is required. This package would be an adequate choice for one-to-two people who use the internet for little more than checking emails and light browsing would likely find this a suitable choice.

The middle package on offer from Origin has average download speeds of 36Mbps. Unlike their entry-level package, the 36Mbps deal is ‘superfast’ broadband – otherwise known as ‘Fibre to the Cabinet’ (FTTC). Although FTTC still uses copper wires for part of the journey in delivering your broadband connection, speeds will be faster than a full-copper, ADSL connection. At 36Mbps, a household of 3-4 using the internet on multiple devices to browse and stream content in standard definition would likely find this a suitable choice.

The final package has average download speeds of 67Mbps. This option provides enough bandwidth for those in a larger-than-average household or shared accommodation where numerous devices are streaming, gaming online and downloading content simultaneously. It is also worth noting that for this package, Origin only charge 95p more than their 36Mbps offering, giving you double the speeds for very little extra.

If you’re unsure of which broadband speed is right for you, take a look at our guide on broadband speeds to help you decide.

Contract length

All of Origin broadband’s contracts are for 18 months.

Phone packages

All of Origin’s broadband packages require a phone connection, and come bundled with line rental as standard. Origin also has a range of call add-ons available:-

Package	Includes	Price per month
Evening and Weekend	Unlimited minutes with free evening and weekend calls (7pm – 7am) to 01,02 and 03 numbers. Calls are chargeable after 60 minutes.	£3.49
Unlimited	Unlimited calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers. Calls are chargeable after 60 minutes.	£5.99
Anytime Calls + 500 International Minutes	Unlimited minutes to 01, 02 and 03 numbers and 36 international countries. Calls are chargeable after 60 minutes.	£7.49
Anytime Calls + 200 Mobile Minutes	Unlimited minutes to 01, 02 and 03 numbers plus 200 mins for calls to UK mobiles. Calls are chargeable after 60 minutes.	£7.49
Anytime Calls + 200 Mobile Minutes + 500 International Minutes	Unlimited minutes to 01, 02, and 03 numbers plus 200 minutes for calls to UK mobiles and 500 minutes 36 countries. Calls are chargeable after 60 minutes.	£11.99

Upload speeds

Although upload speeds are not considered as important as download speeds, if you are someone who frequently uploads content (e.g., videos to YouTube or photos to Instagram), you’ll likely want to know the upload speeds the broadband package you choose, provides.

Origin’s base package offers average upload speeds of 1Mbps. Although this would be considered slow by any definition, it is in-line with all other providers who offer an ADSL broadband option.

Average upload rates for Origin’s middle and top tiers are 9Mbps and 17Mbps, respectively.

To understand upload speeds a little better, if you were working fromh ome and wanted to upload 1GB (gigabyte) worth of files to send to a colleague, this would take nearly 2 and a half hours with upload rates of 1Mbps. Upload speeds of 17Mbps, on the other hand, would have this done in a little over 8 minutes.

Router

All new customers, regardless of the package they choose, will get the same free router: the Zyxel T50K. This is a dual-band router with gigabit ethernet ports for connecting wired devices. It also features in-built technology to maintain optimal speeds with minimal lag, which is ideal for gamers or anyone streaming lots of content.

Installation

Origin estimates that it will take anywhere between 10 – 14 days to get you fully connected. Because Origin uses BT Openreach’s infrastructure, it will send out one of their engineers for the set-up and installation of your broadband. Once a date and time for the engineer’s visit has been decided (it takes around 4-5 business days), you’ll receive an email and SMS confirming the appointment.

If you already have an active phone line, you likely won’t need a visit from an engineer. You can simply plug in your new router to get online.

Customer service

Origin’s Yorkshire-based customer service team is available 9am – 6:30pm Monday thru Friday and Saturdays 10:00am – 1:00pm. Alternatively, you can reach out to the team via email at: helpandsupport@origin-broadband.co.uk.

At the time of writing, Origin Broadband has over 12,000 reviews with an average of 3.8/5 on Trustpilot.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Competitively priced:-

Compared to its competition, Origin offers great prices for FTTC broadband. And, to get their fastest deal for less than £1 more than their middle offering, it’s practically a steal.

Cons

No ultrafast (FTTP) broadband options:-

As reliance on streaming apps and the internet in general continues to grow, so too does the demand for ultrafast broadband. Although ultrafast Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband is not yet widely available across the UK, it would be encouraging if Origin were able to expand its suite of broadband speeds in areas able to access this type of broadband.

18-month contracts

All of Origin’s broadband contracts are for 18 months. This may put off customers looking for a shorter 12-month or monthly-rolling contract option.