Broadband Guide

Free broadband

Updated: Tuesday 04 January, 2011

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

TalkTalk launched its “free broadband for all” offer back in April 2006 with other providers soon launching similar deals. The packages are cheap, but are they good value for money?

Is it really free broadband?

Of course nothing is really free. But since most households are already paying around £14.60 a month for their line rental, as well as the cost of digital TV or home phone calls - which BT (www.BT.com) customers will find are not the cheapest around - “free broadband” offers are almost guaranteed to save you money, simply by cutting out the additional £14 or so a month you would have to fork out for your internet connection.

But money isn’t the only thing that you need to take into account. Free broadband got off to a poor start and a subsequent bad rap - TalkTalk (www.Talktalk.co.uk) was so inundated with subscriptions that it was unable to connect many people for weeks at a time, and connection speeds for both TalkTalk and Orange's (www.Orange.co.uk) own free broadband offering were poor.

However, Sky (www.Sky.com) was far more successful in its free broadband launch, having learnt from TalkTalk's previous mistakes - and it now even offers speeds of up to 20Mb broadband on its free tariff - the fastest ever free broadband deal..

Any catches?

Although it’s important to remember that when you get a free add-on, you might not always get the highest quality service, TalkTalk has injected millions of pounds into improving its once poor customer services, and Sky has won a number of awards for its reliable broadband service - and was named Best Bundled Services ISP at the BroadbandChoices.co.uk customer satisfaction awards 2010.

Free broadband experienced some serious teething problems, but as the offers have become more established, the services they provide have stabilised and massively improved.

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “Free broadband has come a long way since TalkTalk first launched the revolutionary product.

“But remember that it’s not just about cheap broadband. You need to think about how you will use your broadband. If you only need it for very light-weight activities like checking emails and online banking, Sky’s free Everyday Lite package, with its 2GB limit, would be fine. However, if you want to download movies and music, you’ll need a higher download allowance.

“But free broadband isn’t the only way to save these days - there are many reliable, low-cost deals around too,” he advised.

Video: Top tips on free broadband packages

Are there any other freebies available?

TalkTalk’s free broadband revolutionised the market, spurring competitors to offer not only free broadband, but also free laptops. Vodafone (www.Vodafone.co.uk) and AOL (www.AOL.co.uk) even offered free games consoles at one point.

These days, “free laptops” are most commonly given away, with many mobile broadband providers offering a “free” PC with long, 24 month contracts. While these deals might not get you a genuinely free computer - you'll pay for your PC over the course of the contract - they do allow you to spread the cost of your new computer over two years.

Mobile phone operators like Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) and O2 (www.O2.co.uk) who have branched out into the broadband market have also taken advantage of their considerable customer bases by offering discounts to mobile customers who sign up to their broadband packages.

“When choosing your new broadband package, compare prices and then weigh costs against the kind of service that you want. There’s no point saving on a service that you can’t use in the way you need,” concluded Phillips.