Airband Broadband Review 2026

Features

• Full fibre (FTTP) packages with download speeds from 150Mbps to 900Mbps, with upload speed equal to the download speed on all fibre plans
• Separate AirSpeed fixed wireless packages for properties that cannot yet get fibre
• No mid-contract price rises
• Free survey and standard installation
• Nokia WiFi Beacon G6 Wi-Fi 6 router included with all residential packages
• Optional Airband Talk digital home phone, extra mesh Wi-Fi nodes and F-Secure powered security add-ons
• 24 month minimum contract
• Limited availability (rural only)
• No TV or phone bundles
• No weekend support
• Offer: £50 Amazon voucher.

Today’s Offers

Airband is a broadband provider focused on rural areas across parts of England and Wales. It offers full fibre broadband using its own network, as well as fixed wireless options for places where fibre isn’t available yet.

Its full fibre packages use fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), which means the connection runs all the way into your home, not just to the nearest cabinet. The fastest plan offers average download speeds up to 900Mbps, and every fibre package comes with an upload speed that’s the same as the download speed — which is rare among UK broadband providers.

For homes that aren’t ready for fibre, Airband also offers fixed wireless broadband under the name AirSpeed. This uses a wireless signal from a nearby mast to deliver the connection into your property.

The network is privately funded and backed by abrdn (previously Aberdeen Standard Investments), which helps Airband build in harder-to-reach counties that don’t yet have decent broadband from the bigger names.

If your home is eligible, Airband includes a free engineer survey before installation, and the broadband comes with a high-spec Nokia Wi-Fi 6 router as standard. There are no TV bundles or mobile SIMs, but you can add extras like a digital phone service (Airband Talk), mesh Wi-Fi nodes, and online security software if you need them.

Packages and speeds

Airband offers four full fibre broadband packages for residential customers. These use fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), which means the fibre cable goes directly into your home instead of stopping at a street cabinet. This gives you a more reliable connection and faster upload speeds than older copper-based services.

Here’s what you can get:

• Fibre 150 – average 150Mbps download speed and 150Mbps upload speed
• Fibre 300 – average 300Mbps download speed and 300Mbps upload speed
• Fibre 600 – average 600Mbps download speed and 600Mbps upload speed
• Fibre 900 – average 900Mbps download speed and 900Mbps upload speed

All fibre plans come with:

• Unlimited usage
• A 24 month contract
• No mid-contract price rises
• A Nokia Wi-Fi 6 mesh-compatible router
• Free engineer survey and standard installation

The upload speeds are the same as the download speeds on every package. This is one of the main things that sets Airband apart. Most providers that use the Openreach network offer much lower upload speeds — often just a small fraction of the download speed. If you back up large files to the cloud, work from home, or use Zoom or Teams regularly, this makes a big difference.

Airband often offers discounts for new customers, such as a few months at a lower price, or a long-term deal that reduces the monthly cost. These offers change frequently, so it’s best to check the latest prices using the comparison table above.

As for which package is best:

• Fibre 150 is ideal if you mainly browse, watch HD video and use a couple of devices at a time.
• Fibre 300 or Fibre 600 are better suited to multi-device homes with 4K streaming, online gaming and remote work.
• Fibre 900 is Airband’s fastest plan and works well for heavy users, content creators, and homes with lots of connected devices.

Airband fixed wireless packages

If your home can’t get full fibre yet, Airband also offers broadband over fixed wireless. This service is called AirSpeed, and it works by connecting an outdoor antenna on your property to a nearby wireless mast. That signal is then sent into your home and shared over Wi-Fi.

AirSpeed is available in four speed options:

• AirSpeed 40 – average 40Mbps download speed and 10Mbps upload speed
• AirSpeed 150 – average 150Mbps download speed and 30Mbps upload speed
• AirSpeed 400 – average 400Mbps download speed and 75Mbps upload speed
• AirSpeed 1000 – average 1000Mbps download speed and 200Mbps upload speed

All of these fixed wireless plans include:

• Unlimited usage
• A 24 month contract
• No mid-contract price increases
• A Nokia Wi-Fi 6 router
• Free engineer survey and standard installation

The main difference compared to fibre is how the connection reaches your home. Because it relies on a signal from a mast instead of a cable, fixed wireless can be more affected by hills, trees, buildings, and bad weather. Performance can vary more depending on where you are and how strong the signal is.

That said, the faster AirSpeed plans — especially AirSpeed 400 and AirSpeed 1000 — still offer much better speeds than most rural homes can get with copper lines. It’s a practical option if laying fibre in your area isn’t possible yet.

If the postcode checker only shows AirSpeed plans, that means your address is currently served by the wireless part of Airband’s network. Fibre might still be planned for your area, but in the meantime, fixed wireless gives you a decent alternative.ed part of the network. If you see both Fibre and AirSpeed options, fibre will usually be the better long-term choice if you can get it installed.

Where is Airband broadband available?

Airband offers broadband in rural and semi-rural areas, mainly across parts of the South West, the West Midlands, and Wales. It doesn’t cover cities or densely populated towns — the network is designed for areas where larger providers haven’t built full fibre yet.

You’ll find Airband coverage in counties such as:

• Devon and Somerset
• Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire
• Gloucestershire, Cheshire, and Oxfordshire
• Rural parts of South and Mid Wales

Availability can vary from one village to the next. Some premises may already have fibre, others might only be eligible for fixed wireless, and some areas may not be covered at all yet.

To see what you can get, you’ll need to use the Airband broadband checker on their website. It checks both the fibre and wireless networks and shows which packages are available at your postcode.

Airband is working to expand its coverage further across rural parts of the West of England and Wales. But progress hasn’t always been smooth. There have been build delays and changes in recent years, so not every planned area has gone live. For now, it’s best to treat Airband as a specialist provider for certain rural counties — not something you can expect to find nationwide.

Installation and router

Before anything is installed, Airband sends an engineer to check whether your property can be connected. This survey is free, and it’s booked once you place an order and your postcode passes the initial availability check.

If you're getting full fibre (FTTP):

• The engineer looks at how the fibre cable would be brought into your home — this could involve existing underground ducts or new poles.
• If everything is approved, they install a fibre cable into your home and fit a small wall-mounted box called an optical network terminal (ONT).
• This ONT connects to the included Nokia Wi-Fi 6 router using an Ethernet cable, and that’s what brings broadband into your home network.

If you're getting AirSpeed (fixed wireless):

• The engineer checks that your home has a clear line of sight to one of Airband’s wireless masts.
• If the signal is strong enough, they install a small antenna or receiver on the outside of your property.
• That antenna connects via cable to the Nokia router indoors, which then shares the broadband over Wi-Fi.

Airband say it usually takes up to three weeks to go from order to activation — once the survey confirms you can get service. How long it actually takes depends on the engineer schedule, how complex your install is, and whether anything extra is needed.

The survey and standard installation are included in the package, so you don’t pay extra for those. If your property needs something unusual — like a long cable route or special mounting — they’ll discuss that with you in advance. You won’t be billed for the broadband itself until after the cooling-off period.

Router specifications

Airband includes the Nokia WiFi Beacon G6 router with all full fibre and AirSpeed broadband packages. It’s a high-performance Wi-Fi 6 model designed for households with gigabit broadband, large homes and lots of connected devices.

Key specs:

• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with AX6000 speed class – ideal for 4K streaming, gaming, cloud work and video calls on multiple devices at the same time
• 2.5Gbps WAN port – connects directly to the fibre ONT or wireless modem without bottlenecking Airband’s fastest plans
• 2.5Gbps LAN port, plus other Gigabit Ethernet ports – good for wired devices like gaming consoles, desktop PCs or media streamers
• 4×4 MIMO on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands – improves signal strength and consistency throughout the home
• 160MHz channel support – allows higher Wi-Fi speeds on supported smartphones, laptops and tablets

A single Nokia Beacon G6 is rated to cover up to 225m², which is enough for most homes. For larger properties or long cottages, Airband offers optional mesh Wi-Fi extensions – extra beacons that work with the main router to create a single network name and move your devices between access points automatically.

Features and management

You can manage the router using the Nokia WiFi mobile app, which lets you:

• See which devices are connected
• Pause Wi-Fi for individual devices or groups (e.g. kids’ devices at bedtime)
• Block website categories using simple parental controls
• Set up a guest network
• Check network health and run speed tests
• Enable extra protection like two-factor authentication

The router supports WPA2 and WPA3 Wi-Fi security, and Airband also offers an optional F-Secure-powered security add-on that works across all your connected devices to block viruses, scams and malicious sites.

You can use your own router if you want to, as long as it connects using Ethernet and supports the correct WAN settings. But unless you need advanced features, the included Beacon G6 is likely the best choice — it’s pre-configured, supports mesh, and is backed by Airband’s own support team.

Contract length

Airband’s full fibre and AirSpeed broadband packages come with a 24 month contract as standard. This applies to all residential plans available through the provider’s postcode checker and online deals.

The contract terms include:

• Fixed pricing for the full 24 months
• Standard cancellation terms if you leave early — early termination charges are based on how many months are left on your contract
• Rollover to out-of-contract pricing unless you take up a new deal at the end of the term

If you cancel early, the remaining monthly fees must usually be paid, so costs can be high if you leave in the first year.

Airband also offers short-term broadband contracts in some areas, but these are treated as separate products. They often cost more per month and are not always available. For most homes, especially when checking availability online, the 24 month packages are the default options shown.

Customer support

Airband provides customer service directly, without relying on third-party resellers or wholesale partners. This means your support requests are handled by the same company that installed your broadband.

Contact options

For residential broadband queries:

• Phone: 01905 676 121
• Technical support opening hours:
  – Weekdays: 9am to 8pm
  – Weekends: 8am to 6pm
• Sales opening hours:
  – Weekdays: 9am to 5pm

Other contact options include:

• An online contact form for general enquiries
• Email support for technical or billing issues
• A dedicated support line for Airband Talk (VoIP) and Airband Protect (security) queries

Support resources

Before calling, customers are encouraged to check:

• The Airband service status page, which provides updates on any known issues
• The online knowledge base, which includes help articles on: – Using the Nokia WiFi app
  – Improving Wi-Fi coverage
  – Setting up VPNs
  – Fixed wireless troubleshooting and line-of-sight guidance

Customer experience

Feedback about Airband support is mixed. Some customers report reliable performance and strong Wi-Fi coverage after installation, especially on the fibre service. Others mention missed appointments, delays between the survey and installation, and difficulty getting faults resolved quickly.

Independent review sites and community forums like Reddit reflect both experiences. Expectations should therefore be realistic — particularly in rural areas where access and engineering work can be more complex than in cities.verything is working, speeds tend to be good, but the journey to get connected is not always smooth in every area.

Comparison to other providers

Whether Airband is better than BT or other major providers depends entirely on your location and what matters most to you — speed, upload capability, pricing, or service availability.

Coverage

BT uses the Openreach network, which is available almost everywhere in the UK. In contrast, Airband focuses on rural and hard-to-reach areas where full fibre is still missing or patchy. If you're in a remote village or semi-rural area, Airband might be your only gigabit-capable option. If you're in a more built-up area with Virgin Media, BT, or alternative networks already available, then Airband is one of several options rather than a replacement.

Speeds and performance

Airband’s fibre plans are competitive with BT and other Openreach-based providers in terms of download speeds. But they go one step further on uploads — offering symmetrical speeds across all packages. So, if you choose Airband Fibre 900, you get 900Mbps download and 900Mbps upload. BT and others typically restrict uploads to 110Mbps or less, even on their fastest plans. For content creators, home workers and users who regularly upload large files or back up data to the cloud, Airband can offer a major speed advantage.

The AirSpeed fixed wireless packages can also outperform slower FTTC connections in rural areas, particularly when long copper lines limit speed. AirSpeed 400 and 1000 plans can deliver speeds that beat old-style broadband — but wireless performance varies more due to terrain, weather and signal strength, so results are less consistent than fibre.

Price and contract terms

Airband often promotes discount deals that lower the monthly cost for the first few months. While prices can differ by area and time, the full 24 month cost is usually similar to other rural-focused full fibre providers — and unlike some larger ISPs, Airband fixes the monthly rate for the whole contract. There are no CPI-based increases halfway through, which helps with budgeting.

Drawbacks

There are a few disadvantages to consider compared to larger providers:

• Smaller coverage area – Airband is still growing, and many areas are not yet connected
• No TV or mobile bundles – you won’t get streaming or SIM card deals with your broadband
• Less online self-service – there’s no advanced app or online portal like BT or Sky offer, so you may need to rely more on phone and email support

Conclusion

If you’re stuck with slow copper broadband or unreliable options in a rural location, Airband can be a game-changer. Their full fibre packages offer excellent upload and download performance, and fixed pricing makes the contracts easier to manage. But if you already have full fibre from BT, Virgin Media or an alt-net, it’s worth comparing all the available deals — particularly if upload speed isn’t a top priority for your usage.

Who is it suitable for?

Best suited for

Rural and semi-rural homes in Airband counties
Airband is designed for homes in counties like Devon, Somerset, Shropshire, Worcestershire, or rural parts of Wales where fibre from BT or Virgin Media may still be unavailable. Whether you can get fibre or AirSpeed wireless, the result is usually a large upgrade over older copper lines — especially in villages where Openreach has not rolled out FTTP.

People who care about upload speed
Airband’s fibre packages offer upload speed equal to download speed. That’s ideal if you regularly back up to the cloud, upload large files, work remotely using video or remote desktop tools, or stream to platforms like YouTube and Twitch.

Homes that want fixed-price broadband
The “no price hikes” policy during the contract is a strong selling point if you're tired of annual CPI-plus increases. You pay the agreed rate for the full 24 months, which makes it easier to plan and budget.

Tech-heavy, multi-device homes
The included Nokia Beacon G6 Wi-Fi 6 router is well suited to homes with many smart devices, streaming boxes and gaming consoles. With AX6000-class Wi-Fi, mesh support, and a 2.5Gbps WAN port, it can support full-speed fibre connections and provide strong coverage across large or complex properties — especially if you add extra mesh nodes.

May not be suitable for

Homes that need very flexible contracts
If you’re looking for 30-day rolling contracts or a standard 12 month plan, Airband’s 24 month products may not suit you. While short-term options are available in some cases, they usually come at a higher price.

Households that want TV bundles and mobile packages
Airband is broadband-only. There are no TV or mobile SIM deals, and the phone service is a VoIP add-on rather than a landline. If you want a bundle with mobile and TV, providers like BT, EE, Virgin Media or Sky will be a better fit.

Premises outside the network
Airband is not nationwide. If your address isn’t in one of the current coverage areas — or if only the pre-registration option is available — you’ll need to look at Openreach-based providers, Virgin Media, or other local fibre operators.

Users who are very sensitive to installation delays
Most installations happen within three weeks, but there are some reports of longer delays or rescheduled appointments, especially during network build phases. If you have a hard deadline (for example, starting a new remote job), you should keep this in mind and prepare a backup plan.

Is Airband broadband any good?

Airband is one of the more capable rural broadband providers in the UK, particularly for homes that have struggled with poor copper broadband in the past. It offers symmetrical full fibre speeds, a high-performance Wi-Fi 6 router, and fixed pricing for the entire contract. For addresses without FTTP, the AirSpeed fixed wireless packages still deliver competitive speeds in places where fibre is not yet practical.

What makes Airband stand out is the combination of fast upload speeds, modern Wi-Fi coverage, and a simple contract structure without CPI-linked increases. It doesn’t bundle in TV or mobile, and it doesn’t match the scale or polish of BT or Sky, but that’s not the point — this is broadband built for rural homes that need a serious upgrade.

So, is Airband broadband any good? If you live in one of its counties, can get full fibre, and are comfortable with a 24 month contract, then yes — Airband can be an excellent choice, especially if you value fast uploads and strong Wi-Fi. If you want maximum flexibility, rich TV bundles or big-brand customer service infrastructure, you may be better off with a larger ISP.

For many rural households though, especially those currently stuck on slow copper, Airband can be the first provider that finally delivers modern broadband speeds without moving house.