Broadband guide

Internet and phone packages

Thursday 3 March, 2011

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Want to save money on your internet and phone package? You can save hundreds by switching to a bundle.

Bundling your internet and phone package can save you cash as well as offering the convenience of only having to deal with a single provider.

Cheap internet and phone deals

There are now more than 19 million broadband lines in the UK, over 70% of which are provided by rivals to internet giant BT broadband (www.BT.com).

Telecoms regulator Ofcom opened up the home phone and broadband market in 2005, allowing competitors to put their own equipment into the local telephone exchange and offer cheap packages.

The number of so called local loop unbundling (LLU) lines has jumped from 123,000 in 2005 to more than seven million today - with more than 30 different unbundled providers to choose from.

Increased competition = cheaper broadband

As more providers have entered the broadband and home phone market in recent years, competition has become fierce and prices have dropped.

You can now get an internet and phone package for as little as £6.49 a month with Plusnet broadband (www.Plus.net). You will have to pay line rental on top, but even once this has been added on, the whole bundle will still cost you less than £20 a month.

Value for money

Internet and phone bundles are about more than just headline rates. There is no point in taking a cheap package only to end up paying out because you've gone over your monthly download allowance or spent too much on calls.

So think about how you're going to use your broadband and home phone. If you are a heavy downloader, then the TalkTalk broadband (www.Talktalk.co.uk) Essentials or Plus packages might suit you best, while light users could sign-up to the Value package from Plusnet, which comes with a 10GB download limit.

You also need to take call rates into consideration. If you make a lot of calls during the day, then it might be worth adding an anytime calls package, or an international calls add-on if you phone family and friends abroad.

Finding the best internet and phone package

The only way to find the best internet and phone deal for your needs is to compare packages online. Look at the various aspects of each package, such as broadband speed, download allowance, inclusive calls and line rental to make sure you really are getting the right deal.

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