N.B. This page is no longer maintained but is retained as a historical record.
As of 2022, full fibre (ultrafast) broadband is now available to many homes in Bradley Stoke. For details, visit the Journal’s Full Fibre Broadband information page.
Welcome to The Journal’s guide to broadband services in Bradley Stoke.
UPDATE (March 2014): Superfast broadband is now becoming available in Bradley Stoke. The first customers in South Gloucestershire Council’s ‘intervention area’ were able to order fibre broadband from late March 2014. Find out if you can order the service and how much it will cost:
- Superfast Broadband Upgrade Status (The Journal)
- Fibre Broadband Deals (The Journal)
Support our Better Broadband Campaign:
- Visit our Better Broadband in Filton Almondsbury and Bradley Stoke (BB4FABS) campaign page
Introduction
Despite being a large modern town, with few houses more than 20 years old, Bradley Stoke doesn’t have its own telephone exchange. Instead it is served by two exchanges that existed long before the town was built:
- North Bradley Stoke is served by the Almondsbury exchange (prefix 01454).
- South Bradley Stoke is served by the Filton exchange (prefix 0117).
The coverage areas of the two exchanges can be seen on maps provided by the Samknows Broadband website. Click on an exchange name listed above and select the “view larger and more detailed map” option. Click on the building symbol in the centre of the map (which represents the location of the exchange) and then click on “show/hide exchange coverage”.
The range and quality of the broadband services you are able to recieve in Bradley Stoke depends on which exchange you are connected to and the length of the line from the exchange to your property.
The coverage of the two exchanges overlaps in the central part of Bradley Stoke. If you are having a new line installed, you may be given the chance to choose which exchange you wish to connect to, however most properties are likely to have an existing connection. Properties in the central area of the town are likley to have the lowest speed connection, due to the distance from the respective exchange.
To discover the broadband services available at your location in Bradley Stoke, we recommend using the Samknows Broadband Availability Checker. Simply enter your landline phone number or postcode and the checker will tell you which services are available and the connection speed you can expect.
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU)
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) is the process by which third party network operators install equipment in BT telephone exchanges in order to provide their own services without having to using BT’s backbone network. Only the copper wire from the exchange to the subscriber, which remains the property of BT, is used by the third party operator.
Both the Almondsbury and Filton exchanges have LLU operators. The only operator currently offering LLU services from Almonsbury (01454 prefix) is Orange. From Filton (0117 prefix) there is a choice of AOL, O2/Be, C&W/Bulldog, Orange, Sky and TalkTalk.
Connection Speeds
Due to the distances to the two telephone exchanges, you will be lucky to achieve speeds greater than 4Mbps (even if your broadband provider advertises rates up to 8Mbps). In the central part of Bradley Stoke, speeds may be as low as 0.5Mbps.
If you are fortunate enough to live in a street that has been wired for cable, it is worth looking into the broadband services offered by Virgin Media (formerly Telewest), whose system achieves speeds up to 20Mbps.
Test your broadband speed now:
Broadband Providers
Orange
Broadband from £10/month (£5/month for Orange Mobile customers) when you take line rental from Orange.
Talk Talk
Inexpensive broadband available (as part of a phone call/line rental package) to subscribers on the both the Filton and Almondsbury exchanges.
Sky
Broadband from £10/month when you take line rental from Sky. Only available at this price if you are on the Filton exchange (prefix 0117).
Virgin Media
Broadband speeds up to 20Mbps, subject to the availability of cable in your street.
Broadband Stories in The Journal
- Truespeed begins work on new ‘full fibre’ broadband service for Bradley Stoke
- Virgin Media network continues to grow
- Virgin’s ‘big dig’ gets under way in Bradley Stoke
- Virgin set to bring cable to thousands more homes in Bradley Stoke
- MP asked to press BT over “lack of capacity” at broadband cabinets
- All fibre broadband cabinets now “live and ready for service”
- New Year cheer for hundreds still waiting for faster broadband
- Mixed news on broadband front – hundreds still waiting for fibre
- Superfast broadband rollout: Frustration over delays and council secrecy
- Superfast broadband outcome imminent for ‘exchange only’ (EO) subscribers
Bradley Stoke Broadband in the National Press
Digital Britain: Case study of a broadband backwater (The Guardian)