Latest Broadband Deals
O2 Mobile Broadband Tops UK Speed Test
O2 (o2.co.uk) has come out top in a mobile broadband speed test conducted by network specialists Siroda.
The tests measured the music download and web page loading speeds of the UK’s five mobile broadband providers at peak times.
Lasting over a 2 month period, the tests in 150 different locations across the UK, found O2 to be top for downloading a music track – with the fastest speed recorded in 12 out of 20 UK cities.
In second place was Vodafone, followed by T-Mobile and 3.
In London, O2 topped the fastest web page loading speeds, with O2’s Chief Technology Officer, Derek McManus saying: “Our London customers are now seeing the benefits of the investment we made before Christmas, where we spent £30m delivering 40 new sites”.
Over the rest of the UK, O2 came out second for web page loading speeds, just behind Vodafone who top the speed test league in 5 UK cities.
O2 mobile broadband is available on a 1, 18, or 24 month contact with prices starting from £10 a month for speeds up to 3.6Mbps.
Customers can choose either a 3GB or 10GB data usage allowance on the 18 and 24 month contracts, while 500MB, 1GB and 3GB options are offered on the short 1 month contract plan.
All O2 mobile broadband packages include access to 6,100 Wi-Fi hotspots, while a 30 day happiness guarantee is also offered.
Readers can find out more at the o2.co.uk website or our O2 Mobile Broadband review page.
BT Broadband & Phone Call Packages Get Price Cut
BT (BT.com) has refreshed its three broadband and phone call packages using price cuts and new product names.
The ISP’s ‘Get connected’, ‘Home & Away’ and ‘Unlimited’ packages have been replaced by the new names, ‘Talk and Surf’, ‘Talk and Surf Plus’ & ‘Talk and Surf Unlimited’.
BT’s entry level Talk and Surf package provides up to 20Mbps home broadband and unlimited UK weekend phone calls for the new price of £7.49 a month for the first 3 months, followed by £14.49 a month after.
A 10GB monthly download usage allowance is provided together with the BT Home Hub for wireless broadband access.
The Talk and Surf Plus package offers the same maximum broadband speeds, usage allowance and equipment, with unlimited anytime, rather than weekend, UK phone calls included. Prices start at £9.99 per month for the first 3 months before increasing to £19.99 a month after.
As the name suggests, BT’s Talk and Surf Unlimited package provides up to 20Mbps broadband speeds with an unlimited monthly download usage allowance.
With unlimited anytime phone calls included, BT’s top level package costs £19.99 a month for 3 months, before reverting to £27.99 per month after.
Those customers looking to switch to a BT Broadband and call package will need to pay a £50 connection fee if they do not have an existing BT phone line installed.
Readers can find out more at the BT.com website or our BT Broadband and phone calls review.
TalkTalk Broadband Offers ‘We’ll Call You’ Service
TalkTalk (talktalk.co.uk) has launched a new free service called ‘We’ll Call You’ which offers their older customers, who live alone, with a weekly chat.
The weekly calls will be made by TalkTalk staff, with customers being able to talk about anything they fancy, ranging from the days news to the latest goings on in EastEnders or Coronation Street.
TalkTalk staff will also be able to look up information for their customers about local services and provide them with the details they require.
Commenting on the new free service, TalkTalk’s Communications Director Mark Schmid said: “We’re not trying to replace social services and charities but our research shows that the service we’re providing meets a need which is not currently being met”.
Schmid continued: “Knowing that there will be a phone call from a friendly, familiar voice at a fixed time each week and that you can talk to them about anything you like is something that a lot of people value”.
Schmid ended by saying: “We install communications equipment in millions of homes and our next generation network carries billions of bits of data every day, but for many people, the most important piece of communications ‘kit’ is a human voice. The ‘We’ll Call You’ service is designed to ensure everyone has someone to chat to at least once a week”.
The launch of the new service follows new findings that reveal the number of people aged over 65 who live alone in the UK has passed the 4 million milestone.
TalkTalk is the UK’s brighter phone and broadband company, offering up to 8Mb broadband and offpeak phone calls for as little as £6.49 a month.
The company confirmed it would never use its’ ‘We’ll Call You’ initiative to sell a TalkTalk product or service.
Those readers interested in setting up the free weekly chat service can call TalkTalk on 0203 417 1008 or visit the TalkTalk We’ll Call You website.
Orange Mobile Broadband Cut Euro Roaming Fees
Orange (orange.co.uk) has cut its daily roaming fees for customers using its mobile broadband service in Europe.
Customers opting into Orange’s new daily bundle can now get 2MB’s of data per day for £2.
If 2MB is not enough data for one day, Orange also has another daily roaming package that offers 50MB’s of data for £8.50.
According to Orange, 2MB’s of data will typically enable a user to view up to 100 web pages, up to 20 images, access up to 100 emails and view thousands of Twitter messages.
Commenting on the news, Orange’s Olaf Swantee said: “Our customers shouldn’t be constrained by national boundaries or worries over their bill when they’re abroad”.
Swantee continued: “For roughly the price of a cup of coffee, we are helping our customers keep doing what they’re doing – it’s not designed for heavier users who use the mobile internet to download music or games but for everyday customers who want to be able to check their emails, tweet or upload their pictures to social networking sites, anywhere they may be within the EU”.
As part of Orange’s plan to help their users avoid ‘bill shock’, the operator will be sending warning text messages to customers who approach their 2MB daily data limit.
Options to buy another 2MB’s of data will be given and if not taken, users will be reverted to Orange’s standard out of bundle roaming charges which are higher.
Orange was recently ranked the UK’s number one mobile broadband provider for a second time following January’s YouGov Dongle Tracker survey.
It’s mobile broadband packages start from just £5 a month for 500MB of data usage.
Further information can be found on Orange’s range of mobile broadband packages at the orange.co.uk website or our Orange Mobile Broadband review.
3 Mobile Broadband Ups Dongle Usage Allowance
3 (three.co.uk) has increased the dongle usage allowance of its 1 month mobile broadband contract option by 2GB.
The change means customers can now get a sizeable 5GB data usage allowance when they order the 3 mobile broadband one month contract option.
Available at just £15 a month, this package offers mobile broadband speeds up to 7.2Mbps and the 5GB usage allowance – which is enough to send 5,000 emails a month, surf the internet for 50 hours and download 160 four minute music tracks.
With only a short one month contract period to sign up to and a small one-off £9.99 to pay for the 3 dongle, this package represents an excellent choice for users wanting to try mobile broadband for the first time without the commitments.
3 offers a free next day delivery service for online orders, together with a 14 day money back guarantee.
The increase in usage allowance on its 1 month contract tariff follows 3’s recent decision to bring back its 15GB usage allowance for those customers signing up to a 24 month contract paying £25 a month.
Interested readers can find out more on the three.co.uk website or our 3 Mobile Broadband review.
TalkTalk.co.uk Offers Free Dancing On Ice Votes
TalkTalk (talktalk.co.uk/freevotes) is offering every UK household 5 free votes for ITV’s Dancing On Ice show this weekend.
The promotional tie up with ITV means the 11 million viewers of the show can cast their votes for free, giving them the opportunity to challenge the judges and turn the leader-board upside down.
With voting usually costing 35p each, those households registering for 5 free votes can save themselves up to £2 – And get the whole family involved in the voting process.
Viewers can register for their 5 free Dancing On Ice votes at the talktalk.co.uk/freevotes website.
TalkTalk’s Communications Director, Mark Schmid said: “We are thrilled to have teamed up with ITV to be able to offer free votes not just to TalkTalk customers but everyone across the UK”.
Schmid continued, “It’s such a popular show and over 25 million households will be able to take part in the voting this weekend. Now there’s no reason to hold back and the whole family can show their support for their favourite performance by voting”.
Commenting on the news, Dancing on Ice’s 2008 runner up, Chris Fountain said: “Offering five free votes to viewers is a great way to get the whole family involved and really encourage the public to get voting”.
ITV’s Dancing On Ice is being shown every Friday and Sunday evening on ITV1 until the 28th March 2010.
TalkTalk is the biggest provider of broadband to UK homes. It’s popular broadband and home phone package known as the ‘Essentials’ costs just £6.99 a month and currently offers free connection – saving new customers a further £29.99.
TalkTalk’s Essentials package can be ordered online at the talktalk.co.uk website or by phoning TalkTalk on 0800 049 7865.
