Broadband News

Carphone Warehouse steps up laptop offer

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

The communications retailer has upped its game in the broadband and mobile market with an extended free laptop offer, launched today (03-06-08).

Carphone Warehouse, owner of TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and AOL (www.AOL.co.uk) is offering a selection of six different laptops to customers signing up to any of seven different providers at its stores, including its own two brands and 3 (www.Three.co.uk), T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) and Orange (www.Orange.co.uk).

This means that consumers will be able to choose from either fixed line or mobile broadband packages with their free laptop.

From today, the new Wireless World deal is available in 100 stores and will be rolling out across the rest of its 800-plus stores over the summer. The basic laptops are worth £360 but customers will be able to pay extra to get one of the higher-spec laptops.

However, at £35 a month for 18 months, Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, warned consumers to give the deal careful thought before signing up.

“Typical mobile broadband deals cost around £15 a month, so this offer from Carphone Warehouse is more than double that. Think about how much the free laptop is worth and whether or not it would be more economical in the long run to take a cheaper monthly package and buy your own PC,” he said.

Related article - Cheap broadband.