On 16 November 2006, it was announced that BT were making an offer for all shares in Plusnet. The BT deal, worth approximately £67 million, was declared unconditional on 24 January 2007 (after Office of Fair Trading (OFT) approval was granted).

On 5 March 2007, shortly after the BT acquisition, the Plusnet chief executive, Lee Strafford, and the finance director, Neil Comer, were dismissed by BT. Strafford was replaced as CEO by a former BT employee, Neil Laycock, who had been with Plusnet in various senior roles for the preceding three years.

BT bought the Brightview Group in July 2007, and Brightview’s subsidiary Madasafish became a trading name of Plusnet.

Plusnet TV and BT Sport

At the start of 2021, Plusnet announced it would “no longer be taking orders” for its pay-TV services. The Plusnet T&Cs also revealed that customers would no longer be able to renew their TV subscription as of 7 February 2021.

Existing TV customers can still use their set-top boxes to watch Freeview content, but Plusnet TV services are no longer available to purchase.

The BT Sport app was also removed as an add-on for Plusnet customers just before the company was renamed to TNT Sports.

Life at Plusnet

We could be so good for each other. Side by side, we’ll do great things together – us bringing the fast-paced, friendly workplace, with challenging roles you won’t get bored of; you bringing the curiosity, ambition and get-up-and-go to make a real contribution to our team and a difference to our customers.

Fighting competitors from a position of strength

Plusnet said the shift to fixed-only is in the name of leveraging Plusnet strengths, with the greatest opportunity for a return on investment seen to be in fibre products.

At the end of the FY, 74% of Plusnet’s broadband customers have “a fibre product”. Not definition has been given for this, and no update was given on the take-up of full-fibre, but the operator was careful to emphasise that demand for all fibre-based connectivity products is “strong”.

Plusnet said that “other providers” are offering discounted products to gain market share in a “very competitive” market. Plusnet, however, has instead made plans to invest in marketing to increase brand awareness over the current FY.

Plusnet Protect

Plusnet Protect comes as standard on most Plu snet packages. To add it to your service, you’ll need to sign in to your account and check your ‘add ons’. The features of Plusnet Protect include:

Device security for Windows, PC, Mac, iOS, Android and tables against ransomwhere, viruses, spyware, malware, and other online threats.

• Firewall for PC and Mac
• Wi-Fi Security alerts for when you join an unsafe network
• Web-based management
• A 30-day summary of the security activities run on your device.

What Plusnet deals are available?

While Plusnet broadband deals can be tailored to cover your preferred contract length, the packages themselves fall into three primary categories:

Unlimited

The basic package with up to 17Mb estimated download speed. Ideal for standard browsing, everyday streaming and general internet use.

Unlimited Fibre

Increased connectivity with up to 38Mb estimated download speed. Perfect for downloading, HD streaming and online gaming.

Unlimited Fibre Extra

Superfast broadband with up to 76Mb estimated download speed. Tailor-made for extensive internet use and multiple connected devices.

It’s worth noting that some of these plans do fall into restricted contract lengths, so if 

Setting up a Plusnet router

The Plusnet Hubs are designed to fit through a letterbox and be installed by the customer. If an engineer is required to install a phone line, they will also set up your router. However with auto-set up included as a feature of Plusn et’s routers, set up is a simple process and you can do it yourself.

To set up your new service, you will need to unplug your existing router, micro-switches and phones from your wall mounted telephone socket. After you have done this, plug the supplied micro-filter into your phone socket. Then plug the grey cable into the micro-filter and push the other end into the port on the back of the router.

Now you can connect the power. Switch off the mains plug socket and plug the power supply into your new router. Now insert the power plug into the mains power socket. Once this is done, switch on the power socket and switch on your router.

On the back of the router, you will find the details required to log into your new Wi-Fi. The Hub Two has a removable card slotted into the back of the router. The card has all your Wi-Fi log-in details printed on it. Wifi log-in details are also printed on the bottom of the router in case the card is lost.

Once your router is up and running, we’d suggest you start making it as secure as possible. Our guide to securing your wifi router can help.

Pros of Plusnet broadband

• Low prices: Plusnet is one of the most budget-friendly broadband providers on the market
• Fast full fibre packages: You can get ultrafast download speeds up to an amazing 900Mbps, in areas where full fibre is available – and it’s just as competitively priced
• Still offers ADSL: At the other end of the scale, basic ADSL broadband (average speeds 10Mbps) is still available from Plusnet, to connect those areas where fibre broadband is still not rolled out
• Widely available: Because it uses the nationwide Openreach network, Plus net is available in some form to just about everyone
• Simple, broadband-only packages: There are no landlines with Plus net, and not much of anything else at all. The provider offers very simple, straightforward packages that are easy to get your head around
• Good track record for customer service: Plusnet is no longer top of the class here, but its customer service has a record of good stats, according to Ofcom reports
• Add an EE SIM: Want a SIM-only deal too? As a Plusn et customer you can get special discounts on mobile SIM plans from EE

Cons of Plusnet broadband

• Only has 24-month contracts available online: You can get 12-month ones, but they aren’t available online and are significantly more expensive, costing roughly £20 per month more plus additional setup fees. For Plus net’s low prices, you’re looking at a two-year commitment
• Not the best tech: The router supplied when you sign up will get you online with good speeds just fine, but it’s generally a slightly outdated BT hand-me-down. Better tech is available from bigger providers – albeit for a higher price
• No home phone: Some VoIP options are available via Plus net if you’re reliant on a phone line, which give you a digital phone connection using your internet line. But these come from a separate company, and they cost extra. Note that a number of other providers offer this themselves for a cheaper price
• No other bundling options: You can’t get TV from Plusnet, for example – unlike other budget providers such as TalkTalk and NOW