Guide To Choosing The Best Broadband Deals
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Article Updated Monthly: Last Update March 2010
Broadband Deals Causing Confusion
With up to 600,000 Britons per month in 2010 expected to switch their broadband provider and a further 1 million people predicted to sign up to broadband for the first time by the end of 2010, competition between the UK's broadband suppliers for our custom continues to intensify. Such competition is good news as it brings with it plenty of new broadband deals to choose from and some significant savings to be made.However, with so much choice available, you can find yourself getting confused about which is the best deal to choose. You may be asking yourself whether you should go for just a broadband deal or one of the best broadband, phone and TV deals. Either way, there's no need to worry, as we're here to help you find the right broadband deal that suits your requirements.
In this monthly article, we provide some handy advice and tips on getting the best broadband deal for you whilst also picking out some of the best buys that are currently available on the market.
How To Choose The Best Broadband Deals For You
There are a range of factors you need to take into account to ensure you choose the right broadband deal for you. Here's four you really should consider before you decide.1. Cheapest Monthly Deals Are Not Always What They Appear
Don't get drawn into opting straight away for a deal that is the cheapest per month as the monthly costs could be for an initial period of time only. Take your time to understand all the costs. There may be potential one off set up costs like installation, plus hardware costs like a modem or wireless router, so its worth looking at the first year costs to get a real understanding. If you're switching supplier, you also need to check your contract with your existing provider as you may have to pay a cancellation fee if you're not at the end of your contract period with them.There's a chance your monthly cost may also increase if you choose a deal with a monthly download usage limit and you go over that limit during the month. If so, you may be charged for the additional kilobytes that you have downloaded, so bear that in mind.
Don't forget you can also use our guide to switching broadband provider or our beginners guide to broadband to get more information.
2. Broadband Speed - Is Fastest The Best For You?
Broadband speed is measured in kilobytes or megabytes per second using terms such as 'up to xMb,' where 'x' is a number that refers to the maximum download speed of the broadband package. With suppliers now offering increasingly higher download speeds, don't assume that the fastest deal is the best one for you. Higher speeds will in most cases mean higher monthly costs for you so consider how you'll be using your broadband. If you'll be just browsing the web, sending emails and downloading the occasional music or video file, a standard package up to 8Mb could be all you'll need, which will cost you less.Also, if you're a heavy downloader of music, videos and software (average users need not worry), be aware of a traffic shaping or throttling tactic used by some of the cheaper providers. This is when they reduce the speed of your broadband connection during peak times or periods of heavy traffic.
Don't forget, you can find out more information on broadband speeds in our buyers guide.
3. How Much Will You Use Your Broadband?
In most cases, ISP's base their charges on the volume of data used and in doing so, apply a monthly download usage limit or cap to a package. This is usually measured in gigabytes (GB), so you may see, for example, a deal with a 2GB download limit. It's worth considering how much you will use your broadband as some of the cheap broadband deals with smaller download limits could cost you more in the long run if you go over the limit. In such a situation, you could be charged for the additional kilobytes you've used, or your provider could switch you to a more expensive deal. In some cases, they may also shape or throttle your connection speed as mentioned earlier, thus making downloads much slower.As a general rule, a 2GB monthly limit equates to viewing around 50,000 web pages a month, so if you're just surfing and sending emails, there's no need to worry. It's also worth knowing that over 85% of UK broadband subscribers use under 2GB of download capacity a month, though this is increasing as use of internet TV on demand services like the BBC iPlayer soars.
However, if you're a regular downloader of videos, music and software, usage limits do need to be considered as you'll be using the data up much faster. You may be best going for deal with unlimited usage, though make sure you read the suppliers fair usage policy before you sign up.
4. Will Bundling Broadband With Phone Calls and/or TV Generate Good Value For You?
According to a recent research report from Ofcom, bundling is now the second most important factor influencing our choice of provider. For those of you who don't know, a bundle is an offering of two or more products for one attractive monthly charge that is cheaper than buying them separately. Many of the suppliers like Orange and Talk Talk now offer a single price per month for Broadband and anytime UK landline phone calls. Some like Sky, Virgin Media and BT are offering a TV package bundled in as well - all at an an attractive cost per month and all on one bill. Virgin's quad-play deal also includes mobile as well.A bundle deal will only be good value for you if you use all the products it includes and use them often. For example, if you're considering a broadband, phone and TV bundle, make sure you're going to watch most of the TV channels. If not, you might be better off going for a broadband and phone bundle on its own and then buying a separate Freeview box.
Broadband Deals - Best Buys Currently Available
Each month we feature here what we think are best broadband deals on the market based on variables such as 1st year costs, download limits and special incentives. These are not based on customer service as with each ISP we hear many good and bad experiences. The best buys we pick out may be just broadband deals or bundle deals comprising various combinations of broadband, phone, TV and sometimes mobile.1. One Of The Cheapest Broadband Only Packages - PlusNet Broadband £5.99 Per Month
Available on a 18 month contract, the PlusNet 8Mb broadband package now costs from £5.99 per month for the duration of the contract - making it one of the cheapest broadband only packages over a one year period. It comes with a 40GB monthly download usage allowance plus free modem and connection.2. One Of The Cheapest Broadband and Phone Bundles - Talk Talk £6.99 Per Month
The TalkTalk Broadband and phone Essentials plan includes evening and weekend UK landline calls, free local daytime calls and up to 8Mb broadband for just £6.99 per month. There's the usual £11.49 per month line rental you have to pay, but that said, all this for £18.48 a month represents great value. The broadband service has a sizeable 40GB download limit and its reported that customer service levels are improving. This deal is available to households served by TalkTalk's unbundled exchanges which cover about 70% of UK households. You'll have to pay an additional £15 per month for the broadband if you don't live in one of these areas.3. Cheapest Fastest Package - BE Unlimited Broadband 24Mb - Now £17.88 Per Month
If you're after super fast download speeds of up to 24Mb, then BE Unlimited is the cheapest package for you. Now just £17.88 per month on a 12 month contract, this package also has an unlimited monthly download usage allowance. Like some other LLU providers, BE packages are only available in certain parts of the UK, so check if you can receive it by using our broadband postcode checker and comparison service.What Do I Do Next?
Now you're up to speed with some tips on how best to choose the right broadband deal for you, the next step is to visit our broadband comparison page where you'll be able to search for and find broadband provider deals available in your postcode area. You'll be able to compare speeds, download limits, contract lengths, costs per month and first year costs for all the deals and bundles.Also, don't forget to visit our broadband news site where we update all the latest changes in provider packages, bundles and deals as soon as we hear about them.
See you next month for more tips and advice on how to choose the best broadband deals together with our pick of the best buys currently available.
Please note we are able to provide this impartial broadband deal advice and comparison service to you for free because we receive a small commission from the internet service provider you sign up with - which means we are funded by your actions. This only happens when you click on the orange 'go to site' buttons on this website, so if you're going to order a broadband deal, please return to this site to do so. This will help us to continue to provide this free independent service for you. You do not pay any extra for your chosen suppliers package or bundle deal by signing up through this site.
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.
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