BT Broadband
BT offer a standalone Total Broadband package as well as the option to bundle it with a variety of call packages and digital television with their BT service. BT announced that all their new and existing customers were now able to reach download speeds of up to 16 Mbps from summer 2009 as long as they were linked to an upgraded exchange. New customers immediately received the new, faster service once they’d signed up, while existing ones had to re contract in order to upgrade. It was still free to do so though.
Each different package has a different download limit. Two of them have set monthly allowances, but the third option is unlimited, with a fair usage policy in place. BT customers who haven’t upgraded can still reach speeds of up to 8 Mbps.
then £13 a month
- Up to 16Mbps download speeds
- 10GB monthly usage
- Basic online security
- Free calls a year
- Up to 16Mbps download speeds
- 10GB monthly usage
- Wireless BT Home Hub (worth £89.99)
then £20 a month
- Up to 16Mbps download speeds
- Unlimited monthly usage
- Advanced security
BT have their own broadband checker too in order for potential customers to check the broadband speeds within their area before purchasing. All they need to do is visit the website and enter their postcode or phone number and the test results will be displayed. You can add on BT’s digital television service with any BT broadband packages for no extra cost, but you need to pay additional fees for pay per view or subscription programmes. Month by month deals are also available though.
BT have a standard broadband service and offer a free BT Home Hub wireless router. They also provide lots of other extensive added extras such as mobile broadband, free wireless broadband minutes, free internet security, online back up and storage and access to the BT Fon network in wireless hot spots around the country. Existing customers are able to upgrade to speeds up to 16 Mbps with no extra costs, just by signing a new contract with the ISP, so this is a very good deal, giving you even more for your money. The local exchange does need to have been upgraded to the new speeds in order for this to work though.
BT Broadband have received many awards over the years. They were given the highly commended rating according to the broadbandchoices.co.uk 2010 Customer Satisfaction Survey for their bundled services, with regards to quality and reliability, speed, customer service and technical support and speed of service activation. They were also awarded Most Trusted ISP in the Readers Digest awards of 2009. In 2008, they were given the Best Wireless Broadband award according to the Top 10 Broadband Awards.
BT will probably never be the cheapest broadband provider within the UK, however it does offer excellent service which is brilliant for those who need extra piece of mind when wanting to sort out any problems or issues with their connection. It does offer lots of free extras to make up for their higher prices and add to its value, so it makes it a good family ISP. BT is not ideal for anyone looking to do peer to peer downloading thought as certain ports are blocked by them and will restrict your access.