Broadband Guide

Broadband and phone packages

Wednesday 16 May, 2012

By Helen Thomas

You can make great savings by bundling your home broadband with phone calls, digital TV or even mobile broadband, getting yourself a better, more convenient service at the same time.

But with so many promotions and offers on the market, bundles can get a little confusing. Do they really save you time and money, or is it better to get your services from the cheapest individual providers?

There is no doubt that you can save a bundle by combining your broadband with a home phone package or other bundled service. Bundled providers offer very competitive rates and you can get high speed broadband with line rental and inclusive calls all for around £25 a month. But there are other factors that you need to take into consideration before you sign up to a new service.

Internet and phone packages

Other factors to consider

While cheap broadband is important, price isn’t the only thing that matters. Research by Broadbandchoices.co.uk found that broadband connection reliability was the most important factor when it came to choosing a package. This was followed by broadband speeds, and value for money came in third place. Think about your personal needs; what you want and what you will actually use, and take each ISP's customer service and technical support into consideration too.

Line rental

Although headline rates can make a package seem attractive, you need to take into account additional costs such as line rental that will have to be paid on top. For example, TalkTalk Broadband's (www.Talktalk.co.uk) Essentials package has a headline rate of just £6.50 a month and comes with up to 13Mb connection speeds, a 40GB download allowance and inclusive evening and weekend UK landline calls. However, when you add the £14.50 line rental on, albeit still competitive, it makes for a less eyecatching offer.

Call rates

Before rushing to buy a broadband & phone bundle it is important to look at the details of your chosen package, and call rates are one particular area where companies can make back some of the money they lose on their low headline rates.

If you are a high, or even moderate home phone user you might benefit by paying for a slightly more expensive option that could save you money in the long run through cheaper call charges.

For example, many of the big triple play providers - BT Broadband (www.BT.com), Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) and Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) - charge more for their home phone calls, while smaller providers like Primus Saver (www.Primussaver.co.uk) offer far more competitive rates when calling other land line numbers.

As well as how often you use your phone, you should consider when you make most of your calls. Call charges very at different times of the day, and if you make most of your calls during daytime, when prices tend to be highest, you may benefit by paying a little extra for an Anytime calls package.

Superfast broadband

On the other hand, if you’re a light home phone user and your main priority is to have high quality, fast broadband then Virgin Media is a great choice. Regularly appearing at the top of broadband speed tests, it offers the UK’s fastest, widely available packages with speeds of up to 30Mb, 60Mb and 100Mb broadband.

The roll-out of BT Infinity’s fibre optic broadband network, offering speeds of up to 38Mb, 76Mb and 100Mb will also be completed by 2014 giving two-thirds of the UK access to its superfast broadband packages. BT’s fibre packages offer impressive upload speeds too.

With any provider you should ask for a speed estimate before signing up to a new supplier.

Broadband with a new phone line

If you do not already have a home landline and need a broadband connection, unless you are part of Virgin Media’s cable network or plan to use mobile broadband only, you will need to get a phone line installed.

Some providers, such as BT and Virgin Media, will install a phone line for free if you are taking a broadband (or TV) package or bundle. Others will charge for the services. Prices for new line installations can be as much as £130 so shouldn’t be overlooked.

Ditch the bundle and build your own

The final option, if you want a cheap call package, with cheap line rental, but don’t want to sacrifice the quality of your broadband, is to ditch the whole idea of bundling and go for separate providers that will give you the best of what you want.

Combining providers like BE Broadband (www.Bethere.co.uk), O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) or Virgin Media with a low cost home phone provider might save you money on your calls.

However, you should compare any savings you make against the cost of choosing an anytime package from one of the big bundles - which could be cheaper, while eliminating the need to watch your talking time.

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