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How do I run a broadband comparison?
Comparing broadband starts with knowing what’s available in your area. Next, you need to consider:
Work out what speed and usage you need
Think about how your household uses the internet. Families with teenagers tend to use more broadband in the evenings, for example. Student houses may have multiple people online during the day and evening. Or maybe you work from home and need high-quality video calling for meetings.
Observing your household usage over a typical week should give you an idea of the speeds and reliability you need from your home broadband. Most packages come with unlimited data, but it’s worth checking. If not, make sure you ask about the costs of going over your data allowance.
Work out your budget
Once you have an idea of your typical usage, you can look at broadband prices and choose the option that’s the best value for you - that’s within your budget, but also gives you everything you need. For example, faster download speeds often come at a higher cost.
Check for any admin fees or equipment/installation costs. You should also expect an annual price increase in line with inflation. Some companies now add a percentage on top of inflation.
Choose a contract length
Broadband contracts typically vary from 12-24 months. Legally, providers must offer 12-month contracts to those who request them. Some providers also offer 1-month rolling contracts. These are typically more expensive but can be useful as a stopgap for a short period.
You may find better broadband deals when you agree to a longer contract. But you’ll need to keep paying for the duration of the contract even if your circumstances change. If you want to leave the contract early, providers usually charge an exit fee, also known as an early termination charge (ETC).
Consider customer service options
When you compare broadband deals, it’s not just speed that’s important. It’s also worth reading the customer service reviews for each provider. Uswitch awards the best broadband companies annually, based on data from over 20,000 broadband customers. Its 2023 people’s choice winner was Plusnet. Ofcom also publishes anannual review of broadband providers, looking at things like value for money, overall signal strength and average call waiting times.
If customer service is important to you, you’ll want to take this into account when you compare home broadband deals.
You might want to know:
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Is it quick and smooth to get online as a new customer?
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Is it easy to switch at the end of your contract?
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Are queries handled by chatbots or people?
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Is the customer service team based in the UK?
Many UK providers are part of Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme. This means customers get compensation if something goes wrong. For example, if your broadband stops for 2 or more days you could get £9.33 a day back in bill credit.
Find out if your provider is part of the broadband compensation scheme
What broadband can I get in my area?
There are a few different types of broadband and their availability varies according to where you live.
You’ll probably have heard of fibre broadband which sends data using beams of light. It’s much faster and more reliable than traditional ADSL, which uses copper lines (known as asymmetric digital subscriber lines).
Within the fibre category, there’s fibre to the premises (FTTP), also known as full fibre, and fibre to the cabinet (FTTC), known as part fibre. FTTP uses fibre optic cables all the way to your home, while FTTC uses fibre optic cables to a certain point and then switches to copper cables. FTTC is due to be phased out in favour of the faster FTTP over the next few years. G Fast broadband can offer faster speeds than FTTC in some places where FTTP isn’t available.
Another type of broadband is cable. Provided by Virgin Media and WightFibre on the Isle of Wight, cable broadband speeds easily compete with full fibre.
Here are the different broadband speed categories you should know:
- Superfast broadband: Superfast broadband is available to 97% of UK households, according to Ofcom, and has speeds of between 30Mbps and 70Mbps.
- Ultrafast broadband: Ultrafast full fibre broadband uses different cables to superfast broadband and offers download speeds of at least 100Mbps and up to 1,000Mbps.
- Gigabit broadband: Also known as gigafast broadband the offers speeds of more than 1,000Mbps.
- Standard broadband: Also known as ADSL or more recently ADSL2+. With speeds of less than 30Mbps, this is often adequate for light internet users. However, many people are upgrading from standard broadband if it’s available and affordable.
With most broadband options, you’ll need to have a working phone line and pay line rental, even if you don’t use the phone. Full fibre connections and Virgin Media are the exception as they don’t require a copper phone line. A few companies still offer unlimited phone calls but this has become less popular. Check the costs for going over your call allowance.
Who has the best broadband deals?
Every provider operates in a slightly different area of the UK and has different broadband offers. The crucial thing is to choose the right package for your household and your budget.
There are over 150 other UK providers including Sky, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Hyperoptic, Virgin Media and Community Fibre in London.
Broadband package deals, also known as bundles, can work out better value than broadband-only. Many people also find having a package easier to deal with than paying multiple bills every month.
Typical broadband bundles available:
- Phone line and broadband internet
- TV, phone line and broadband internet
- Broadband-only options are available from some providers, but these can be more expensive than phone-and-broadband options.
Some providers save their best broadband deals for new customers. Many also put their prices up after the initial contract period, which is why many people choose to switch broadband provider [link to page on How to switch broadband provider] every 1-2 years.
Some providers offer cashback or vouchers as part of their broadband offers. These incentives may only apply to new customers.
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Need more help?
What is a good broadband speed?
Do you need a phone line for broadband?
How do I check my broadband speed?
Can I get fibre broadband?
Please note: Broadband providers may increase monthly prices in line with the retail or consumer price index each year during the length of your contract. Please refer to the individual broadband provider's terms and conditions before signing up.
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