A Buyers Guide To Broadband - Broadband Internet UK

Buyers Guide

Whether you're ordering Broadband for the first time or considering switching provider, our helpful buyers guide below details the main things you need to consider when comparing Broadband packages. These are cost per month, first year cost, speed, download limit, bundled extras like free phone calls and contract length.

To kick off we thought it would be useful to provide some background on broadband penetration rates in the UK and what we think will happen during 2007.

Broadband Penetration In The UK

With Broadband now available to 99% of the UK population, its not surprising to hear that the UK's is Europe's most developed Broadband market with 44% of UK households having high speed internet access by the end of 2006 - that's up from 34.1% in 2005 (Source: Screen Digest)

What Will Happen During 2007?

Broadband subscriber numbers are expected to continue during 2007 with up to 4 million customers signing up to Broadband for the first time, not to mention the 240,000 consumers switching provider each month.

Several factors are driving this growth, one being the technology developments that are enabling those people living in rural areas to have access. The other is the increasing competition between the UK's Broadband suppliers that has pushed prices down to the same level as dial up, thus tempting dial up users to upgrade and take attractive bundled offerings aswell.

Its not just stand alone players like AOL & Tiscali fighting for market share in the broadband market. Mobile phone companies like Orange & Vodafone, plus leading pay TV firm Sky, have entered the market aggressively with low priced bundles containing the like of Broadband, home phone calls, TV & mobile. This competition will intensify from mid February when ntl Telewest launch under their new name, Virgin Media and will continue with the proposed launch of O2 Broadband in June.

So, it promises to be a year of new lower Broadband prices & great value bundled offerings. With this in mind, its well worth keeping visiting this site to review & compare the latest package prices & bundles on offer. Now back to the buyers guide....

Factors To Consider When Comparing & Buying Broadband

We've detailed below the main things you need to consider when comparing & buying Broadband. These are cost per month, first year cost, speed, download limit, bundled extras like free phone calls and contract length.

Its important for you to read this information so you can establish in your own mind what your main purchase criteria is - for example, is it more important for you to sign up with an ISP that offers a rolling one month contract as opposed to a provider which offers the lowest cost per month but with an 18 month contract?

1. Cost Per Month & Any One Off Fees
There will be a fixed monthly fee, plus in some instances, a one off fee for a modem, wireless router, or installation. Most suppliers offer a free modem or wireless router and recover the cost in the monthly fee you pay. Cable companies like ntl Telewest may charge an installation fee as an engineer will be required to visit your home to conduct the installation.

Your fixed monthly fee may increase if you choose a package with a monthly download usage limit and you go over that limit during the month. If so, you'll be charged for the additional kilobytes that you have downloaded. Please see 3. below for more information.

2. First Year Costs
As some ISP's offer incentives such as first month free or a reduced price for the first 3 or 6 months, its worth considering what the total cost will be for your first year if cost is your number one purchase criteria.

3. Broadband Speed - Up to 'xMb'
The term 'up to xMb' where 'x' is a number, refers to the maximum download speed of the Broadband package on offer. Upload speeds are generally not quoted as they are deemed less important with most people downloading from the internet as opposed to uploading. If your telephone line won't support up to, say, 8Mb, your chosen ISP will offer you the best available speed that your line will support.

Between 2Mb and up to 8Mb Broadband is now standard in the marketplace, so if you'll just be using Broadband for surfing, email & downloading some music and videos, its likely this will be all you'll need. If you're looking for faster speeds and optimum performance, some suppliers like ntl Telewest and Be offer speeds from 10Mb to 24Mb.

Its worth noting that as ISP's upgrade their package speeds, its also likely that they'll upgrade your Broadband speed aswell - without it costing you any more money.

4. Monthly Download Usage Limits
Some Broadband providers offer unlimited monthly download usage whilst others impose a download usage cap or limit. If you don't do too much, its not really something to consider. However, if you're a heavy downloader of large music and video files, its worth considering the monthly usage limits that apply as you may be charged per kilobyte if you go over the limit. In that case, you're best going for an unlimited monthly download usage package so you know exactly what you're going to be paying each month.

5. Bundles & Extras
Bundles and extras are an increasingly common feature with Broadband packages. Many of the providers like Orange and Talk Talk are now offering a single price per month for Broadband and anytime UK landline phone calls. Some like Sky are offering a TV package bundled in aswell - all at an an attractive cost per month and all on one bill.

You'll need to look at the costs you pay to different providers for services like your phone line rental, phone calls, Broadband, pay TV and mobile and compare the total cost with these new bundled offerings. In most cases there will be savings to be made but its worth keeping an eye on the small print.

6. Contract Length
Most ISP's like to tie you into a 12 or 18 month contract to help offset the costs of offering you incentives such as a free wireless router or a reduced cost per month for an initial period. Naturally, they also use this time to try to up sell and cross sell you their other services.

12 or 18 month contract periods are fine for most people, though its worth reading their terms & conditions to find out what their termination penalty is should you wish to cancel before the end of the contractual term.

If you're after some flexibility, there are some providers like Virgin.net that offer rolling 1 month contracts instead which have a smaller termination penalty.

What Do I Do Next?

Hopefully you'll now have an idea of what your most important purchase criteria is (e.g. speed, cost per month etc). The next step is to visit our Broadband provider comparison page where you'll find a comprehensive list of the UK's Broadband providers. Here, you'll be able to compare speeds, download limits, extras / bundles, contract lengths, costs per month & first year costs for all their packages.

If you're unsure as to some of the terms used on this page, please read our beginner's guide to Broadband or our guide to switching supplier.