Which is the cheapest broadband provider?
It depends on the type of product you opt for. Talk Talk, Sky, Orange and Virgin are all offering “free broadband”, but to get this you have to sign up for other services because the internet access is part of a package.
Talk Talk is offering free broadband to people who sign up for its Talk 3 International call package. This costs £20.99 a month, including line rental, plus an intital charge of £29.99 for the modem.
Customers get up to 8 megabit (Mb) broadband plus unlimited free phone calls to any landline in Britain, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America. You are tied into an 18-month contract, however.
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Sky’s free broadband offer is available only if you have Sky television, which costs from £15 a month. Existing customers must pay a connection charge of £40 to get the free broadband.
To qualify for free broadband from Orange you must sign an 18-month contract for one of its mobile tariffs costing at least £30 a month.
Virgin Mobile is the latest provider to offer free broadband. People who sign up for its Sim-only mobile-phone tariff before the end of October receive 12 months’ free broadband.
If you do not want to sign up for a package and prefer a stand-alone product, you can get unlimited 2Mb broadband for £14.99 with Telewest and Tiscali.
However, your first port of call should be your current provider. Jason Lloyd of Moneysupermarket, a comparison site, said: “Most firms now have cancellation teams which try to stop you from switching to another provider by offering you a new deal. However, you will be tied into another contract which will probably last 12 or 18 months.”
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I’m not bothered about price; service is my priority
Many people move internet providers because they are frustrated by poor service.
Research from Which, the consumer group, found Zen, Global and Waitrose scored most highly on customer service. A separate survey from Uswitch.com, found that AOL, BT and NTL, have the least satisfied customers, while Plusnet came out top.
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What problems may I encounter when switching?
The first thing is to check you are not tied in to a contract. If you are, you have to pay for the remainder of the term, so switching may not be worthwhile.
If you move house partway through a contract, most providers will transfer the service over to the new address. However, unless you are taking your phone number with you, you will either have to pay a transfer fee or sign up for a new contract.
You will probably need a migration authorisation code to switch without losing broadband access. Don’t be put off if the company says it cannot provide one. While there are sometimes genuine reasons why a firm cannot supply a code, many are simply reluctant so it is worth persevering.
If the firm still drags its heels, contact the telecoms regulator Ofcom to complain. If that doesn’t work, you may have no choice but to cancel your current service which may leave you without broadband for a time.