Shell Energy offers Superfast and Ultrafast fibre broadband deals with an inclusive router and Shell Go+ rewards.
In the UK, Shell Energy is a provider of low-cost home broadband with a choice of copper broadband, superfast fibre and ultrafast fibre plans. With prices starting from £17.99 per month, you’ll get unlimited downloads and an inclusive router on all Shell Energy plans. You’ll also benefit from the Shell Go+ rewards programme which gives you a 3% saving when you fill up your car at Shell.
In this article, we’ll review and compare the broadband plans available from Shell Energy in the UK. We’ll start by looking at the price plans they offer and what you’ll get included on each one. We’ll then look at the download speeds available and at the Technicolor router you’ll get included with the service. We’ll also look at how you can change broadband providers from another company to Shell.
Prices From: | £17.99 per month |
---|---|
Contract Length: | 18 months |
Download Speed: | 11Mbps (Fast Broadband) 35Mbps (Superfast Fibre) 63Mbps (Superfast Fibre Plus) 140Mbps (Ultrafast Fibre) 290Mbps (Ultrafast Fibre Plus) |
Upload Speed: | 1Mbps (Fast Broadband) 9Mbps (Superfast Fibre) 17Mbps (Superfast Fibre Plus) 25Mbps (Ultrafast Fibre) 45Mbps (Ultrafast Fibre Plus) |
Customer Benefits: | 3% discount on fuel at Shell petrol stations (up to 60L per month) |
Router: | Technicolor TG588v2 (Fast Broadband) Technicolor DWA0120 (Superfast & Ultrafast Fibre) |
Coverage: | 98% of UK homes (Fast Broadband) 91% of UK homes (Superfast Fibre) 10% of UK homes (Ultrafast Fibre) |
Contents
Shell Energy Broadband Plans
In the UK, Shell Energy Broadband currently provides a home broadband service to about half a million consumers. This includes the 112,000 customers already using Shell Energy Broadband and the 450,000 customers which have acquired from the Post Office Broadband.
If you’re joining Shell Energy Broadband, you’ll currently have a choice of five different plans. They include Fast Broadband (with average download speeds of 11Mbps), Superfast Fibre (with average download speeds of 35Mbps) and Superfast Fibre Plus (with average download speeds of 63Mbps). There’s also a choice of two Ultrafast Broadband plans for customers living in a home with access to Gfast technology.
As a Shell Energy Broadband customer, you’ll get unlimited downloads along with a Technicolor router included on your plan. You’ll also benefit from Shell Go+ rewards with a 3% discount on fuel when you fill up at a Shell petrol station. This is capped at a maximum of 60 litres per month (therefore giving you a maximum saving of around £2 per month).
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of Fast Broadband, Superfast Fibre and Superfast Fibre Plus from Shell Energy:
Fast | Superfast Fibre | Superfast Fibre Plus | |
---|---|---|---|
Monthly Price: | £17.99 per month | £22.99 per month | £24.99 per month |
Contract Length: | 18 months | 18 months | 18 months |
Download Speed: | 11Mbps average download | 35Mbps average download | 63Mbps average download |
Upload Speed: | 1Mbps average upload | 9Mbps average upload | 17Mbps average upload |
Inclusive Features | |||
Home Phone: | Included (Pay As You Go calls) |
Included (Pay As You Go calls) |
Included (Pay As You Go calls) |
Shell Go+: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Technology | |||
Technology: | Copper (ADSL) | Fibre (FTTC) | Fibre (FTTC) |
Router: | Technicolor TG588v2 | Technicolor DWA0120 | Technicolor DWA0120 |
Installation: | Self-setup | Self-setup | Self-setup |
Availability: | 98% of UK homes Check availability → |
91% of UK homes Check availability → |
91% of UK homes Check availability → |
Around 10% of UK homes also have access to Shell’s Ultrafast Broadband plans. Starting from £41.99 per month, these ultrafast plans use G.fast technology to deliver average download speeds of up to 290Mbps.
Fast Broadband
Shell Energy’s cheapest home broadband plan is known as Fast Broadband. With average download speeds of 11Mbps, it’s suitable for everyday browsing and for HD-quality streaming on up to two devices at the same time.
Fast Broadband has an average upload speed of 1Mbps. Although this is suitable for most basic daily usage, the slow upload speed may cause a slowdown when you’re using cloud storage or online backup services.
At present, you’ll pay £17.99 per month for Fast Broadband on a 18-month contract. You’ll also get a home phone line included with Pay As You Go calls.
Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Fast Broadband | 11Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £17.99/month |
See all Shell Fast Broadband Deals →
According to Shell, one of the key benefits of their service is that fact you won’t see any end-of-contract price rises. However, this doesn’t mean that prices won’t change during your contract. For instance, Shell Energy increased their prices in January 2021 by £2/month for Fast Broadband customers. From April 2022 onwards, there’s also an annual price rise at the rate of CPI inflation.
On Fast Broadband, the speeds you’ll be able to get will depend on the distance between your home and the nearest telephone exchange. For this reason, you should enter your postcode on the Shell Energy website to get a personalised estimate of the download speeds available.
Superfast Fibre
If you’re looking for a fibre-based service, Superfast Fibre is Shell’s cheapest fibre broadband plan. Making use of fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology, the Superfast Fibre plan gives you an average download speeds of 35Mbps. This is around 3 times faster than the copper Fast Broadband service. The extra speeds will allow you to stream on more devices at the same time or to stream 4K ultra-HD video.
You’ll currently pay £22.99 per month for Superfast Fibre broadband on Shell Energy:
Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Superfast Fibre | 35Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £22.99/month |
See all Shell Superfast Fibre Deals →
On Superfast Fibre, you’ll get a home phone line included with Pay As You Go calls.
Around 91% of UK homes should be able to get Shell Energy’s Superfast Fibre service. The exact speeds available where you live depend on the distance between your home and the nearest street cabinet. You can check the download speeds available on the Shell Energy website.
Superfast Fibre Plus
In most UK homes, Superfast Fibre Plus will be the fastest home broadband plan available from Shell Energy (unless you’re in the 10% of UK homes that are able to get Ultrafast Fibre).
On Shell’s Superfast Fibre Plus plan, you’ll get an average download speed of 63Mbps. This is about six times faster than copper broadband and nearly twice as fast as Superfast Fibre. It should allow you to stream in HD quality on up to 15 devices at the same time. Alternatively, you can watch ultra-HD video (4K) on two devices at the same time.
You’ll currently pay £24.99 per month for Superfast Fibre Plus:
Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Superfast Fibre Plus | 63Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £24.99/month |
See all Shell Superfast Fibre Plus Deals →
This also includes a home phone line with Pay As You Go calls. You can check the exact speeds available where you live by entering your postcode on the Shell Energy website.
Ultrafast Fibre
In around 10% of UK homes, it’s now possible to get Shell Energy’s ultrafast fibre broadband service. This makes use of Gfast fibre broadband technology to deliver an average download speed of up to 290Mbps. An engineer visit is required to set up Ultrafast Fibre, but this will enable faster speeds that are almost six times faster than Superfast Fibre Plus.
At present, you can choose between the Ultrafast Fibre and Ultrafast Fibre Plus broadband plans. The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of the two plans:
Ultrafast Fibre | Ultrafast Fibre Plus | ||
---|---|---|---|
Monthly Price: | £41.99 per month | £46.99 per month | |
Contract Length: | 18 months | 18 months | |
Download Speed: | 140Mbps average download | 290Mbps average download | |
Upload Speed: | 25Mbps average upload | 45Mbps average upload | |
Inclusive Features | |||
Home Phone: | Included (Pay As You Go calls) |
Included (Pay As You Go calls) |
|
Shell Go+: | Yes | Yes | |
Technology | |||
Technology: | Fibre (G.fast) | Fibre (G.fast) | |
Router: | Technicolor DWA0120 | Technicolor DWA0120 | |
Installation: | Engineer visit required | Engineer visit required | |
Availability: | 10% of UK homes Check availability → |
10% of UK homes Check availability → |
You can get Ultrafast Fibre broadband from £41.99 per month on Shell Energy:
Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Ultrafast Fibre | 140Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £41.99/month |
![]() Ultrafast Fibre Plus | 290Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £46.99/month |
See all Shell Ultrafast Fibre Deals →
At present, Shell Energy only offers their ultrafast plans using Gfast technology. This is available in around 2.8 million UK homes. It isn’t currently possible to get Shell Energy on a FTTP (full fibre) connection. Shell is also yet to announce the launch date for their FTTP service.
Shell Energy Broadband Speeds
In the UK, Shell Energy provides average download speeds of up to 290Mbps and average upload speeds of up to 45Mbps.
The following table shows the average download and upload speeds you can get on Shell Energy Broadband, along with the maximum possible download speed and the maximum possible upload speed:
Shell Energy Plan | Average Download Speed | Average Upload Speed | Maximum Download Speed | Maximum Upload Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fast Broadband | 11Mbps | 1Mbps | 17Mbps | 1Mbps |
Superfast Fibre | 35Mbps | 9Mbps | 38Mbps | 9.5Mbps |
Superfast Fibre Plus | 63Mbps | 17Mbps | 76Mbps | 19Mbps |
Ultrafast Fibre | 140Mbps | 25Mbps | 160Mbps | 25Mbps |
Ultrafast Fibre Plus | 290Mbps | 45Mbps | 330Mbps | 45Mbps |
The average speeds advertised by Shell Energy are based on what at least 50% of customers are able to get during peak usage hours (8pm to 10pm). Meanwhile, the maximum download speed and maximum upload speed is based on a theoretical limit of what is possible with the technology.
In practice, the speeds you’ll actually get will depend on multiple factors relating to your phone line. It depends on the distance to your nearest telephone exchange for copper broadband and the distance to the nearest street cabinet for fibre broadband. Because the speeds you can get will depend on your location, you should get a personalised estimate of the speeds available on the Shell Energy website.
Check Shell Energy Broadband Speed →
Shell Energy Broadband Router
On Shell Energy Broadband, you’ll be provided with a wi-fi router to use with the service. This will produce a wi-fi network for your other devices to connect to. It will also provide you with four Ethernet ports, allowing you to connect wired devices to your home network.
Depending on the broadband plan you choose, you’ll get one of the following two routers:
- The Technicolor TG588v2 router is provided on Fast Broadband. It’s a fairly basic router with single-band Wi-Fi 4 connectivity, but it should do the job for most basic daily usage.
- The Technicolor DWA0120 router is provided on all Superfast Fibre and Ultrafast Fibre plans. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi 5 connectivity with support for features like beamforming to improve the performance.
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of the two routers, including detailed technical specifications:
Technicolor TG588v2 | Technicolor DWA0120 | |
---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
|
Availability | ||
Shell Energy Plans: | Fast Broadband | Superfast Fibre Superfast Fibre Plus Ultrafast Fibre Ultrafast Fibre Plus |
Connectivity | ||
Dual-Band Wi-Fi: | No | Yes |
Wi-Fi Connectivity: | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
Wi-Fi Speed: | Up to 300Mbps | Up to 1,600Mbps total |
2.4GHz Wi-Fi: | 2×2 MIMO (up to 300Mbps) | 2×2 MIMO (up to 300Mbps) |
5GHz Wi-Fi | No | 3×3 MIMO (up to 1300Mbps) |
Ethernet: | 4 Fast Ethernet ports (100Mbps) | 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports (1,000Mbps) |
USB ports: | 1 USB 2.0 port | 1 USB 2.0 port |
Other: | WPA2 / WPA security Built-in firewall Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) enabled |
WPA2 / WPA / WEP security Built-in firewall Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) enabled |
Other | ||
Model: | Technicolor TG588 v2 | Technicolor DWA0120 |
Colour: | Black | Black |
Dimensions: | 13.7 x 12.5 x 3.5 cm | 21.3 x 3.4 x 18.5 cm |
More Information: | Shell Energy Website | Shell Energy Website |
On Ultrafast Fibre and Ultrafast Fibre Plus, you’ll also be provided with a separate Openreach G.fast modem. You’ll need to use this in conjunction with your Technicolor DWA0120 to get access to Ultrafast Broadband. As part of the installation service for this product, your Openreach engineer will set this up for you.
When you cancel your Shell Energy Broadband service, you’ll need to return your router to Shell. If you don’t, an charge of £35 will be added to your final bill.
Coverage & Availability
In the UK, Shell Energy Broadband is available at most addresses. However, the exact broadband plans available where you live may differ depending on the technologies available:
- Fast Broadband uses ADSL (copper broadband technology). Shell says the average download speed is 11Mbps. However, this varies substantially depending on the distance between your home and the nearest telephone exchange.
- Superfast Fibre and Superfast Fibre Plus use fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology. A fibre optic cable runs to a cabinet near your home. The final part of the connection is then provided using a copper phone line. The download speeds available will therefore depend on the distance between your home and the nearest street cabinet.
- Ultrafast Fibre and Ultrafast Fibre Plus use G.fast technology. This works in a very similar way to fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband but it allows for faster download speeds as long as you live within 500 meters of the nearest cabinet.
To see which broadband plans are available at your address, enter your postcode on the Shell Energy Broadband website. You’ll also be shown an estimate of the speeds available where you live.
Check Shell Energy Broadband Availability →
Behind the scenes, Shell Energy Broadband is powered by TalkTalk’s wholesale product. It’s delivered through an Openreach phone line, like the broadband services from BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and others.
Switching to Shell Energy Broadband
If you’re switching from another broadband provider to Shell Energy Broadband, it’s easy to do this. You can also keep your current phone number if you’d like.
Start by ordering your new Shell Energy Broadband plan online. During the online order process, you’ll be given a switchover date for your new broadband service (typically for around two weeks time). Whilst you’re waiting for the switchover to happen, you’ll continue receiving a service from your old provider.
On the go-live date for your new Shell Energy home broadband service, you’ll need to plug in the router from Shell Energy. This will complete the switchover of your service. Normally, your old broadband service will be cancelled for you automatically. However, if you’re a Virgin Media customer, you’ll need to contact them directly to cancel your old service.
For step-by-step instructions on how to switch your broadband provider to Shell Energy, please select your current provider from the drop-down menu below:
Switch to Shell Energy
Your step-by-step guide to switching
For more information, see our full guide to switching broadband providers in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
What broadband plans are offered on Shell Energy Broadband? | Shell Energy currently offers the following home broadband plans:
|
---|---|
What’s the relationship between Shell Energy Broadband and the Post Office Broadband? | In March 2021, Shell Energy completed the takeover of Post Office Broadband. Customers using the Post Office Broadband service will start moving to Shell Energy Broadband from August 2021. According to Shell, there will be no immediate changes to your bill or to your terms and conditions. |
How does Superfast Fibre compare to Superfast Fibre Plus on Shell Energy? | Shell offers a choice between Superfast Fibre broadband and Superfast Fibre Plus broadband. Both of them use fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology to deliver broadband into your home. You’ll get an average download speed of 35Mbps on Superfast Fibre and an average download speed of 63Mbps on Superfast Fibre Plus. |
How does the Shell Go+ discount work for Shell Energy Broadband customers? | As a Shell Energy Broadband customer, you’ll get access to the Shell Go+ loyalty programme. This gives you a 3% discount on fuel from Shell petrol stations, up to a maximum of 60L per month (which works out as a maximum saving of around £2 per month). |
What router I will I receive on Shell Energy Broadband? | The router you’ll get on Shell Energy Broadband depends on the plan you choose:
For more information, see our side-by-side comparison of the two routers. |
Where is Shell Energy Broadband available? | Shell Energy Broadband is available in around 98% of all UK homes. Around 91% of UK homes are able to get Superfast Fibre and around 10% of UK homes are able to get Ultrafast Fibre. Enter your postcode on the Shell Energy website to see which broadband plans are available where you live. |
More Information
For more information about Shell Energy Broadband, please see the official Shell Energy website.
Jim said:
Finding it difficult to find any information on power consumption of the Technicolor TG588v2 router- do you know?
Mike said:
I am concerned at the above post because I have similar feelings about the scam way Shell Energy Broadband works. Especially the crafty “14” day grace that is being used up before we customers get to find out how well their service performs!
I have been a “Fast Broadband” customer for a 12 month (having used First Utility scheme before) and have struggled to reach 8 to 8.8 mbs download speed using my ethernet conected fast PC. So I seriously challenge the claim of “an average of 11mbs”. It is just not happening and my area has fibre to the cabinet 200 yards away down our road! I recently agreed to a price increase on the monthly rental and call plan from Shell in return for “Superfast Fibre Broadband” of 35mbs download, with a claimed average speed of 29.24mbs download speed (which is considerably lower than 35mbs!! So why make such a misleading claim? is that legal?) They were going to advise me when the change happened. They did not do so except to send me a bill showing the new charge being deducted!
Well, I now have their new cheap router reffered to above which still gives poor internal wi’fi like the earlier one and I am still only getting 8,8 to 9 mbs download speed according to several reliable test sites. So be wary of Shell’s Broadband sales pitches and especially their “Go” motoring benefit. Their fuel prices are the costliest and the other rewards in the scheme are aimed at travelling sales people etc who frequently by other goods at Shell service stations.! I expect Shell will blame my home set-up and not their cheap, low tech router and poor fibre service – there is always a get out. We just cannot trust any ISP’s these days – especially if you cannot afford to pay £50 pcm for their service, All the claims are exagerated beyond what is actually achievable. So I see it all as a scam industry charging inflated prices for little return in quality of service. Consumers beware!
Beverley replied:
Hi MIke
Thank youu for your comments because been reading all about shell broadband and worried my current provider moving all customer over to shell which not happy this month. Decided do not want to go with company i will not receive any benefits which they tell me do not go shell garage would not take there energy and never dealt or order from amazon Other people warned about not to go with see all terms conditions which do not like no way will be able to afford their dear broadband charges another not like still have 6 months contract left going see if get out before it ends and again thank you for information you have given
Max said:
Stay away from them!
Today was my activation day, first day with their active broadband. Since after a couple of hours I realised that I was downloading at half the speed of my previous provider I contacted them to cancel.
Their contract says that “you have 14 days to cancel without charge”, unfortunately I discovered that they start calculating the 14 days from when you confirm that you want to switch.
the day you confirm that you want to switch to them and if I cancelled I would have to pay the full year of supply. Since between the day you sign and the activation date you have to wait 2/3 weeks there is no way to really test their services.
Beverley replied:
Hi Max
Thank you for warning my old provider moving us over to shell broadband going try get out of it before my old contracts finish find another provider do not like sound of company what been reading and charges