How do I choose a broadband provider?

Once you’ve got an idea of what you want from your broadband package, the next step is to find a provider that offers the right package for you. Our calculator will ask a few basic details about the type of product you’re after, such as the minimum speed and download limit. If you’re going to be a light user and just want to surf the web or pick up emails, choose a lower speed or download limit; if you’re going to be playing games online or downloading videos regularly, choose something quicker, possibly with no download limit.

Our results table will show you the products that meet your needs, but there are other factors you might want to think about, such as:

the cost
the contract length
whether you want any other services included, and
what kind of support they provide.

Cost

The different packages you see on the results table have been sorted by the total 1st year cost. This cost includes the following:

Activation fee – some providers will charge if you’re new to broadband. If you’re switching providers, this charge won’t be included in the 1st year cost.
Migration fee – if you’re switching your broadband from one provider to another, some providers will charge you. If you’re getting a new broadband connection, this charge won’t be included in the 1st year cost.
Modem fee – some providers will offer a modem for free, some may make a small charge for this, while others will offer a range of different modems or routers with different prices. If you don’t want a modem (for example, you’ve already got one through your existing broadband connection), this charge won’t be included in the 1st year cost. For customers looking to switch to another provider, look closely at the fine print to see whether the modem that was originally provided to you is yours to keep or if you need to send it back or pay for it if you switch.
Monthly charge – we show the standard monthly charge on the results table separately from the other costs without any discounts included, so you get a better idea of what you’ll need to pay after any special promotions have finished.
Discounts – any special offers the provider is offering are included in the 1st year cost.

The cost for standalone broadband offers on the results table doesn’t include the line rental charge which you’ll need to pay to your phone provider regardless of who you go with.

Contract length

Most broadband deals come with a 12 month contract, which means you need to stay with the provider for a minimum of a year, or pay a penalty if you want to switch or stop your contract. Some providers have special rules if you’re moving home and want to take your broadband with you, so look at the fine print of the contract. A lot of the new ‘free’ broadband packages now come with 18 month contracts.

If you don’t want to tie yourself down to a long contract, then providers do offer short-term contracts such as 1 month. Look at the fine print of the contracts though – while they may say they don’t tie you in, they may still charge you if you leave within a certain period.

Bundled broadband

There’s been lots of publicity recently about ‘free’ broadband offers. In reality, these providers are bundling other services into the offer which they charge for, making the broadband ‘free’ only if you take another service. These services usually include your home phone service, but are now also including digital TV and mobile phone contracts. We show you these bundled offers separately from standalone broadband deals on our results page.

There are lots of reasons why you might want a bundled offer:

Usually they’re pretty good value, especially if you already use one of the services from the company already.
Each of the bundled results in the table includes the cost of line rental so that you can compare like with like. Some of the deals you might read about include line rental while others don’t, even though you have to pay it to get broadband.
Bundled services also provide simplicity – you’ll only get the one bill for several services, and there’s only one place to contact for questions or problems.

If you’re thinking about a bundled offer:

Make sure each service is right for you. Would you be better getting each service tailored to you individually?
Once you’ve signed up to multiple services, it may be difficult later on to stop just one service if something better becomes available.
If the company doesn’t offer great service, you might want to think twice before taking up several services with them.

Support

Unless you’re an IT whizz kid, chances are you’ll need help at some stage with your broadband. Look at what kind of support the new provider offers, either through email, web, or on the phone. If support is available on the phone, see how much they charge for each call, and what hours their call centre is open – you might end up paying quite a bit for being on hold!