British Telecommunications is one of the UK’s largest at-home internet providers. Recently the communications giant has ditched it old BT Plus branding on its home internet offerings in favor of calling it BT Halo.
UPDATE: BT Launches Halo 3 & 3+
The BT Halo 3+ combines the best of fibre and mobile data with support from EE, bringing always-on connectivity and rapid speeds to your home’s WiFi network. The idea here is simple: you get an unbreakable home internet connection; you’re always connected, either via BT or EE’s network.
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But is there any difference besides the name change? Yes. And here’s what you need to know.
What Is BT Halo?
BT Halo is now the name for a collection of internet and phone services from BT. On November 8, 2020 BT announced the new branding. BT says Halo is “the UK’s best converged broadband, mobile and phone plan – redefining connectivity in and out of the home.” Expanding on that, Pete Oliver, Managing Director of Marketing BT, said:
“We’ve designed the ultimate converged plan to meet the needs of the modern family. BT Halo really is the best of BT – it offers unlimited, reliable 5G and fibre connectivity, and a host of other great features, including dedicated tech specialists who will come to customers’ homes, aimed at taking the stress away from our customers – and allowing them to spend more time on the things they love. A bonus for those of us who spend needless hours trying to get to grips with home tech issues and wrestling with the connectivity in our homes.”
What BT Halo does is it packages together BT’s best and exclusive offering to keep you connected in your home. But there are actually two different tiers of BT Halo, appropriately name BT Halo 1 and BT Halo 2.
What Is BT Halo 1?
With BT Halo 1 subscribers get the following:
- The choice of Superfast Fibre, Fibre 100 or Fibre 250 packages in the home
- Dedicated UK and Ireland-based support
- A 4G Mini Hub sent to you if your home internet goes down or if you’re moving homes
- A promise that existing customers won’t pay more than new customers signing up for BT Halo
- In other words, BT Halo 1 provides all the basics customers need in their homes. But what’s really nice about it is the inclusion of the 4G Mini Hub. You don’t get this hub by default, however, if your home internet goes out, BT will send you the 4G Mini Hub right away to get you back online quickly–even if the home internet might be down for a while.
The 4G Mini Hub is powered by EE’s 4G service, and lets your devices–laptops, phones, smart speakers–connect to it for cellular 4G internet service while your home internet is down. Another plus, if your home internet goes down, and if you have a mobile plan through BT, all your mobile plans will be temporarily upgraded to unlimited data until your home internet is restored.
What Is BT Halo 2?
BT Halo 2 is an optional add-on to BT Halo 1. With BT Halo 2 you get everything you get with BT Halo 1 plus:
- A new Smart Hub 2 wireless router. The new router has family controls built-in so you can easily manage online time in your home.
- Access to BT Halo’s new team of Home Tech Experts. These are 900 BT employees who are available for in-home visits to help resolve any internet or wireless issues.
BT says its “Home Tech Experts can be booked to come to a customer’s home, with 2-hour appointment slots, 7 days a week. They are trained on a wide range of issues, including helping vulnerable customers where access to technology is more important than ever.”
How Much Does BT Halo Cost?
As with any internet home offerings, BT offers several pricing options for BT Halo. BT Halo 1 plans start at £57.99 per month. As for BT Halo 2:
- The Full Fibre 100 (145mbs) is £58.99
- The Full Fibre 300 (300mbs) is £63.99
- The Full Fibre 900 (900mbs) is £73.99