Shell Energy Broadband Deals
Shell Energy broadband offers a straightforward selection of home broadband deals. There are plenty of options available, regardless of your budget, or whether you’re a light or heavy internet user.
I've heard Shell Energy is being bought out by Octopus. What do I have to do?
It's been confirmed that Octopus is buying out Shell Energy Broadband. For now, nothing has changed as the deal isn't set to complete until later in the year. Once the sale has complete, you'll be able to find all the new details and packages on this page.
What broadband packages does Shell Energy offer?
Cheap broadband deals for light users
Shell Energy Broadband offers one of the cheapest, entry-level packages for broadband customers with its ‘Fast Broadband’ package. Priced at under £18 per month, this gives you an average speed of 11Mb. This is great if you only use the internet for basic tasks such as emailing and light web browsing.
For more help deciding on the right package speed for you, visit our ‘Easy Guide to Broadband Speeds’.
Superfast Fibre deals
If you use the internet regularly every day and stream TV, then Superfast Fibre (38Mb) or Superfast Fibre Plus (67Mb) are two worthwhile Shell Energy Broadband packages to consider. As Shell uses the Openreach network, most homes will have access to these deals without needing any extra installation work.
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What is Openreach?
Openreach is the company that maintains the former British Telecom Network used for the majority of broadband and phone services. If a repair or installation is required, it’s Openreach who will send an engineer, not your provider.
More than 650 service providers using the Openreach network. That’s the majority of the UK’s broadband providers. This includes Sky, TalkTalk and BT. The exception to this is Virgin Media - it uses its own, separate cable network.
Ultrafast Fibre deals
If you have access to a G.fast network, and your telephone line has had an upgrade, you may be able to sign up to Shell Energy’s Ultrafast Fibre or Ultrafast Fibre Plus broadband plans. Availability for these packages may be low as the rollout of G.fast is limited. However, if you can get it, this gives you the chance to sign up to packages with download speeds up to 290Mb.
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What is G.fast?
G.fast is type of broadband technology that can offer download speeds of up to 330Mb. It uses the same lines which currently supply Fibre To The Cabinet fibre optic broadband. Higher speeds are achieved by expanding the frequency range. Unfortunately, this only works over short distances. This means it's limited to customers who live no further than 500 metres from an exchange. The rollout of G.fast has been halted, for the most part, in favour of full fibre broadband.
Full Fibre deals (FTTP)
For those needing faster, full-fibre broadband, there's a range of options. Depending on availability in your area, you could receive download speeds of up to 944Mb.
Social Tariffs for those on benefits
If you're receiving benefits, you may be able to sign up to Shell Energy Essentials – a discounted version of its Fast Broadband or Fibre Broadband packages. For more information on this, read our guide to "social tariffs and cheaper broadband deals if you're on benefits".
Shell Energy Broadband and Home Phone Calls
Line rental is included with all Shell Energy deals as part of the contract price if you’re signed up to a fibre package. You won’t need to pay this if you have a full fibre contract, as this won’t use a landline.
There aren't any inclusive calls as standard, but if you do use the phone regularly, there's an option to add evening and weekend calls, anytime calls, or international calling, for an additional monthly fee.
Shell Broadband coverage and speed
As Shell Energy Broadband uses the Openreach network, most homes will be able to get Shell broadband. Fast Broadband is available to almost all premises, and the vast majority will be able to sign up to a Superfast Fibre package.
Whether you’ll be able to sign up to an Ultrafast package, or one of the full fibre deals depends on whether you’ve had an upgrade to the network in your area.
To see the broadband deals available at your home, you can type your postcode or address into your deals checker.
Shell Energy Broadband usage limits and traffic management
All Shell deals have unlimited usage, and Shell says it doesn't use traffic management. However, its terms and conditions also state that Shell may “change your Service, (including without limitation, your broadband Transmission Speed)” for use of “an application or program that places excessive bandwidth demands on the Broadband Service for continued periods”.
While this may only apply to a small percentage of users, other unlimited broadband providers clearly state they have no limits regardless of how much you download or upload.
Expert Summary
Shell Energy broadband is good value, especially if you sign up for one of its frequent gift voucher offers.
The most notable downside is its vague usage policy, which could trip up anyone expecting to take Shell’s offer of unlimited broadband at face value.
To find out more, read our full Shell Energy Broadband review.