Broadband News

Free laptop boom ahead of Christmas

Thursday, 30 October 2008

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Sales of “free laptop” broadband packages have seen a massive boost ahead of a credit crunch Christmas.

Researchers found that on one website “free laptop” deals accounted for just four per cent of sales in July but rose to a massive 27 per cent this month - and looked set to overtake sales of stand-alone broadband by the end of the year.

Free laptops are available direct from providers such as 3 Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) and AOL Broadband (www.AOL.co.uk) or from retailers such as Phones 4U and the Carphone Warehouse.

A Phones 4U spokesperson said: “Since launching laptop-broadband deals on Phones4u.co.uk, we have seen significant sales growth month-on-month and predict that laptop-broadband deals will be top-sellers this Christmas.”

3 has just reduced the cost of its cheapest “free laptop” deal and customers can now get a 5GB mobile broadband package, with a free USB modem stick and Hewlett-Packard 2133 ultra-portable mini notebook for just £25 a month.

AOL’s Wireless Plus Laptop package offers a Hewlett-Packard 6720 laptop at no extra cost when customers sign up to its £19.99 a month home broadband. It also comes with a 40GB home download allowance, a free wireless router and Talk Pay As You Go as standard.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “As belts continue to tighten in the run up to Christmas, many people will see these free laptop deals as great cheap presents during hard times.

“Although these deals are a great way to budget for a new laptop, many of these offers are tied to very long contracts - as much as 24 months - and also cost a lot more each month than standalone broadband. If you can afford to buy a new laptop outright, you’ll be saving yourself money in the long run,” he advised.

Source: Top10-broadband.co.uk

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