COMMENT
Get Cheap, Speedy Broadband Today!

By Cliff D'Arcy
January 20, 2006

According to the latest edition of Web User magazine, the UK now has more broadband users than any other European country.

By the end of 2005, the UK had 9.8m broadband customers, with France in second place with 9.7m, and Germany third with 8.4m. What's more, although the UK and France both have populations of around sixty million, Germany's is over a third higher at 82 million, so it is rapidly falling behind the curve when it comes to being online.

Although almost half of UK internet users are still using dial-up connections, broadband connections are growing by 70,000 a week, so millions more of us will switch to high-speed surfing during 2006. Alas, many folk will choose the wrong tariff or provider and end up overpaying by hundreds of pounds a year!

Indeed, a visit to the excellent ADSLguide website shows that the cost of broadband connections varies enormously. For example, here are the price ranges for the three most popular connection speeds, using this easy-to-use search engine (first-year cost, including VAT, plus any installation and set up charges):

• 512kbps: from £120 to £1,187 (equivalent to £10 to £99 a month; ten times as fast as 56kps dial-up)
• 1Mbps: from £156 to £2,227 (£13 to £186 a month; twenty times as fast as dial-up)
• 2Mbps: from £168 to £2,650 (£14 to £221 a month; forty times as fast as dial-up)

(Note that this search also includes some business broadband packages, which explains the whopping fees at the top end of the scale.)

For the record, the cheapest ISPs at each level are: E7even.com (for 512k and 1Meg) and supanet for 2Meg. Faster connection speeds are available, for example, 4Mbps and 8Mbps, but only users with very good telephone connections can benefit from these mega-fast services.

Naturally, you can save money by only paying for the connection speed that you need -- there's no point in paying for a super-fast connection if you can live without it. For instance, if your web usage consists of using email plus a little surfing, you'd probably do just fine with a 512k connection. 1Mbps or 2Mbps services are fine for moderate to heavy daily use, while ultra-fast services may be worthwhile if you're heavily into online gaming, internet radio, free broadband phone calls, and downloading music and video clips.

For example, as a freelance writer who works from home, I spend roughly forty hours a week online, yet I do perfectly well with a 2Mbps service. In 2004, I switched from BT's 512k service costing £27 a month to a £15-a-month 2Meg tariff from Prodigy Networks. This quadrupled my surfing speed while almost halving its cost! However, my new tariff is metered, which means that I have to pay extra fees if I exceed my 2GB monthly usage allowance (but each extra gigabyte costs only £1.50).

Of course, when choosing a broadband package, don't just take speed and price into account: customer service is an important issue, too. So, check these factors before switching to a new Internet Service Provider (ISP):

• Each ISP's contention ratio: with how many people do you share your local connection?
• Customer service: are you forced to call an expensive premium-rate 090 or 0870/1 helpline?
• Reliability: how do each ISP's users rate its reliability, and how does this compare with other providers' ratings?
• Do you get a wireless modem router and receivers to turn your home into a "wi-fi" zone? This allows two or more PCs to share the same broadband connection, without being tied to a particular telephone socket, providing complete freedom to surf.
• Are there any other additional services: for example, does the ISP provide free email accounts and personal web space?

In summary, you can cut your broadband costs by:

1. only paying for the connection speed that you need;
2. switching to a cheaper provider; and
3. choosing a metered service.

Good luck with finding a better broadband provider!

More: You can save even more money (and earn as you spend) with a cashback credit card.