John Lewis Broadband Review: A Historical Guide

John Lewis Broadband is no longer available. The service stopped accepting new customers in 2022 and closed fully in May 2024. John Lewis Broadband was powered by Plusnet's infrastructure and used the Openreach FTTC network. It only offered FTTC (part-fibre) packages — it never launched Full Fibre (FTTP) products. Former customers migrated to Plusnet directly or chose an alternative provider. In 2026, significantly faster and often cheaper Full Fibre alternatives are widely available.

What Packages Did John Lewis Broadband Offer?

John Lewis Broadband offered three packages under the Plusnet-powered infrastructure at the time of its last pricing in 2022: Unlimited at approximately £12.77/month (average 10Mbps ADSL), Fibre at approximately £26.11/month (average 36Mbps FTTC), and Fibre Extra at approximately £31.90/month (average 66Mbps FTTC). All packages were on 12-month contracts, included unlimited data, and bundled evening and weekend calls to UK landlines. A free router was provided to new customers. Annual price rises were applied under a CPI+3.9% formula — the type of inflation-linked increase that Ofcom subsequently banned for new contracts from January 2025. John Lewis Broadband never launched Full Fibre (FTTP) products, which limited its competitiveness as the market shifted to gigabit speeds. The service was always positioned as a premium-branded resale of BT Group's Openreach infrastructure via Plusnet, rather than a technically differentiated product.

Performance: What Were the Speeds and Reliability?

John Lewis Broadband's performance was determined by Openreach's FTTC network, delivering average download speeds of 10Mbps (Unlimited/ADSL), 36Mbps (Fibre), and 66Mbps (Fibre Extra) to 50% of customers at peak times (8–10pm). Upload speeds were approximately 1Mbps on ADSL, 9Mbps on Fibre, and 18Mbps on Fibre Extra — typical for FTTC technology. Latency was in the 20–40ms range for FTTC, consistent with Openreach norms. As a Plusnet resale product, reliability and fault resolution followed Openreach's standard SLA processes. No FTTP product was ever offered, meaning customers needing speeds above 66Mbps or low-latency connections for gaming and video production could not access these via John Lewis Broadband. In the context of 2026, where the average UK broadband speed is 223Mbps, these figures are significantly below market expectations.

Customer Service: What Was the Satisfaction Record?

John Lewis Broadband was not tracked in Ofcom's major ISP satisfaction reports due to its relatively small customer base. Which? magazine surveys historically ranked it in the lower-middle tier for overall satisfaction — surprising given the John Lewis brand's retail reputation. Common criticisms included the CPI+3.9% annual price rises making the total contract cost unclear at sign-up, limited online self-service functionality, and telephone support that customers rated below expectations for a premium-branded service. Compared with Sky (82% Ofcom satisfaction) and Plusnet (89–91%), John Lewis Broadband's service record did not justify the premium positioning the John Lewis brand implied. By contrast, budget providers such as TalkTalk were often cheaper for the same FTTC speeds. The brand premium did not translate into a meaningfully better product.

Verdict: What Should Former John Lewis Broadband Customers Do?

John Lewis Broadband's closure in May 2024 marked the end of another retailer-branded ISP that could not compete with the move toward Full Fibre. For former customers, the best course of action in 2026 is to switch to a Full Fibre provider if FTTP is available at your address. Plusnet — the technology that powered John Lewis Broadband — now offers FTTP from £21.99/month with Ofcom-leading satisfaction scores. BT and Sky both offer Full Fibre across the same Openreach network. If you live in a rural area not yet reached by FTTP, Gigaclear or Wessex Internet may be options for a meaningful speed upgrade. Customers who value brand trust should consider Zen Internet (Which? Recommended Provider 2026) or Plusnet, rather than replacing like-for-like with another budget FTTC product.

Compare Broadband Deals at Your Address

John Lewis Broadband is closed, but there are more broadband options than ever in 2026. Use CompareFibre to compare Full Fibre packages from Plusnet, BT, Sky, and local altnets available at your postcode — and find a faster deal for less than you may expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did John Lewis Broadband close?

John Lewis Broadband stopped accepting new customers in 2022 and closed its service fully in May 2024. ISPreview.co.uk reported the closure in April 2024. Former customers were advised to move to Plusnet or another provider of their choice.

Who provided John Lewis Broadband?

John Lewis Broadband was powered by Plusnet plc (a BT Group company), using the Openreach FTTC and ADSL network. John Lewis acted as a retail brand reselling Plusnet's infrastructure. The 24/7 UK-based support came from Plusnet's Sheffield team. The John Lewis name added no independent network or technical capability.

Why did John Lewis Broadband close?

John Lewis Partnership announced it would exit the broadband market as part of a broader business restructuring. The service was commercially challenging: it could not offer Full Fibre products, faced intense price competition, and the brand premium did not justify the investment in running a telecoms operation. The John Lewis Partnership returned to focusing on its retail and financial services businesses.

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Methodology

This guide is based on publicly available data from Ofcom, provider websites, and independent sources including ISPreview.co.uk, Thinkbroadband, and Point Topic. Pricing, speeds, and availability were verified in April 2026 and are subject to change. CompareFibre is editorially independent — providers do not pay for placement or influence our recommendations.