The Hidden Costs Of Broadband In The Uk

With so many cheap?and free?broadband offers around 2008 06 10 Archive the moment, there's bound to be the odd catch. So we put together a list of things to bear in mind when choosing a broadband package, so that 53879 dont Broadband Cure For Financial Isolation caught out with any hidden charges or extra costs.

Download penalties Internet Access In Mainland China For 09 fair usage

Do you use your unlimited broadband connection to download music, movies Tips On Search Engine Optimization 09 66044 resolution photos? Is your package really unlimited? A recent ICM survey found that 71 per cent of users thought their broadband package 24485 unlimited but 75 per cent of the deals out there actually have limits on how much you can download.

This means that you could end India Excludes Isps From Wimax Auction being charged for persistently exceeding your download limit 2008 05 30 Archive to 2 per GB of data. Hidden?download limits also exist in the form of fair usage policies. These are put in place by your ISP to ensure that your downloading doesnt affect other peoples connections.
In accordance with their fair usage policy, some ISPs, including Virgin and BT, can even upgrade your broadband to a more appropriate and more expensive package, so you will have to pay a higher upfront fee every month.

Call centres

While the headline monthly rates of many ISPs might sound appealing, you need to think about what happens if something goes wrong. Check the costs of calling both customer Broadband Crackdown On Illegal and technical support, as the charges can be vastly different. For instance, Toucans customer services line is free, but many problems can only be dealt with by technical support, which costs 30p a minute.
Before choosing an ISP, ask yourself the following questions: Are you a technophobe who wouldnt know what to do if your connection failed? Do you have an old computer that might not do things automatically? Will technical support be your only means of fixing problems? If youre likely to need a helpline, choose a cheap and reliable one.

For example, 10 calls to a helpline, for 10 minutes each time, at 10p a minute, will add another 15 to your bill ?a charge for advice that some companies give out for next to nothing.

Hardware

Most ISPs will provide a free ADSL modem when you take up a broadband contract, but depending on your needs, you might end up paying for other Whats Relationship Between Bandwidth 05 Remember that some ISPs, like Pipex, will offer you a free modem, but will charge you for postage
ADSL and cable broadband connections will work with any computer (including an Apple Mac) providing you have the right modem.

The same goes for wireless broadband; you dont have to get a special contract, you just need a normal broadband connection and a wireless router. Some ISPs will give you this for free, but with some you will need to buy one separately. It will cost 29606 around 40, and a top-of-the-range one will cost about 90. But its not worth signing up with a pricey ISP just to get a free 85921 as youll pay for it many times over.

Before you buy a wireless router, check whether the company provides technical support ?some dont, but set-up is normally straightforward.

Securing your PCs

Many of the cheapest ISPs do not provide security as Cheap T1 Lines of their broadband packages, but good anti virus software and a firewall are essential. Without one, you could be exposed to a multitude of horrors, including virus attacks and bank fraud.

Online bank fraud is increasing at an alarming rate, and while many banks will reimburse you if youre defrauded online, they are not obliged to do so. According to Apacs (the trade association for payments) only one in 10 people protect their PC from this sort of attack.

You can get a broadband package from BT with security for 17.99 per month (basic security) or 22.99 per month (Norton security). A basic broadband package like Toucan, where you dont get security, costs around 13.99 a month.

Here are the high-street costs of some of the market-leading firewalls and anti virus suites, so you can weigh them up against buying a suite from your broadband provider that cost 40 to 60. But there are also free options for protecting your PC. For instance, modern Windows packages include a free firewall thats quick and easy to set up. Avast also offers free protection software.

Digital television and telephone calls

Many ISPs will offer to bundle your broadband with a low cost phone package to save you money on calls. The package deals change frequently, but you should be able to find a cheap deal that gives you unlimited weekend calls (Toucan and Talk Talk offer these packages). As well as saving money, these bundles also offer a convenient one-bill solution that cuts down on paperwork and hassle and you can find similar deals for digital television.

Make sure you check all the details before you switch away from BT, as some packages are better value than others (visit our home phone comparison service to research the facts).

An alternative might be a cheap landline, with a basic broadband connection. YourCalls offers cheap line rental and landline calls in the UK; weekend calls are free, and calling other YourCalls customers is free at any time. You could combine it with AOL who are currently offering a months free broadband when you sign up online, a free wireless router and truly unlimited downloads for just 14.99 a month ?one of the best value packages around at the moment.

You could also consider hooking up an internet phone to your broadband connection and using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) rather than getting a bundle. Among others, this service is offered by Skype, Eclipse, Vonage and Tesco.

Line rental

According to Ofcom, 70 per cent of UK households use an ADSL connection, for which they have to pay a line rental charge, as ADSL uses the old BT copper wires network. Most of these households will be paying 12 per month (11 via direct debit) to BT for the privilege of having a phone line.

Yet in 2005, Ofcom found that 30 per cent of consumers used their mobile phone more than their landline, an increase of 9 per cent on 2004 figures. This means that line rental is an added cost for people who dont normally use a landline. While there is no way around this if you are not in a cable area, other companies besides BT have now started offering line rental at competitive prices. One way to save money on line rental is to shop around, switching to another provider.

At the very least, pay BT for your line rental via a direct debit and save 1 per month. Alternatively, you could try cable providers NTL or Telewest. These ISPs offer broadband Tips Hi Rehinfo line rental, competitive packages and reasonable upgrades for multichannel cable TV.
Out of 25.1 million UK households, 12.6 million are covered by the cable network (Ofcom, 2006). Find out whether you can get Telewest services by doing a broadband search. While some cable services are more expensive than ADSL, they might be better value when you take line rental into account, and are perfect for people wanting to use VoIP.

Cancellation charges

Check your contract carefully if you think you might need to cancel in less than 12 months. Even if youre moving house and intending to use the same supplier again, this could incur a charge.

Even with some no contract?packages, the reality could be that you are charged to cancel. Alternatively, you could be unable to cancel and could be roped into paying for the whole 12 months even if you dont use it.

However, if you want to cancel because of poor service, you could contact us, or get in touch with Otelo, the telecommunications industrys watchdog, or Ofcom. If you want legal advice, try the Which? Legal Service, for over-the-phone advice at only 12.75 a quarter.

Finally

Best value doesnt always mean cheapest. Look beyond the price and get a package that really suits you. Think about your needs as a user. If youre a technophobe, you could benefit from packages that offer cheaper support and free security.

You should also weigh up your television and phone needs, as this can get you a better deal, but think about whether or not you will actually use it ?dont buy something for the sake of it as you will only be wasting money.

To compare broadband prices and packages, visit http://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk