Latest Broadband Deals
Half Price Orange Mobile Broadband Offer To End
Orange (orange.co.uk) looks set to end its 3 months half price mobile broadband offer on Monday the 31st August.
The offer is available online only to new and existing customers and applies to the the Orange 18 month 3GB and 10GB mobile broadband tariffs.
The Orange mobile broadband 3GB package provides speeds up to 3.6Mb with a 3GB monthly data allowance. With the offer, prices start from £7.34 a month for 3 months, followed by £14.68 a month after.
The 10GB package offers the same 3.6Mb speeds and comes with a higher 10GB data usage cap. Customers opting for this package will need to pay £12.27 per month for 3 months and then £24.47 per month after.
Both packages come with a free USB modem stick (available in black or white) and free next day delivery.
Existing Orange customers also have the choice of opting for a 500Mb tariff that costs just £4.89 a month for the duration of the 18 month contract.
Both the 3 months free offer and the £4.89 tariff can be ordered online at the orange.co.uk website.
Orange mobile broadband was rated the ‘UK’s Most Reliable Mobile Broadband Provider’ in a recent YouGov survey.
Zen Tops Which? Broadband Best Buy Survey
Broadband provider Zen Internet has come out top on a recent broadband ‘Best Buy’ survey conducted by Which? magazine.
The ISP was awarded five out of five for speed, reliability and customer service and scored an overall total of 87%.
It was closely followed by the likes of O2 Broadband with 85% and Be Broadband with 80%.
It is not the first time that Zen Internet has come out on top in the magazine poll either. For the past four years Zen has come first in many broadband categories.
However, compared to other broadband deals available from its rivals, the company doesn’t offer the best value for money. This meant it only scored three out of five for value for money.
The results, published in the Times newspaper included a quote from the survey findings which said: “For most Which? Members, Zen’s marvellous customer support, reliable connection and willingness to go ‘the extra mile’ to resolve problems are worth paying more for”.
Zen was also commended on its provision of one month broadband contracts which allow customers the flexibility to cancel their broadband service after just one month. Such contracts are also offered by AOL Broadband.
In the survey the UK’s biggest broadband ISP’s scored less than 60%. The companies included the likes of BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, and Tiscali.
Customers not happy with their existing supplier are advised to consider switching broadband provider where significant savings can be made.
BT To Extend Wi-Fi Broadband Hotspots To 1 Million
BT (www.BT.com) has announced plans to extend the the number of its UK Wi-Fi broadband hotspots to 1 million over the next six months.
The aggressive plans follow the increasing demand in the UK for faster, more reliable broadband internet access while out and about.
When speaking about the demand for better broadband access on the move, BT Retail’s Director of Wireless Broadband, Dave Hughes, said, “The real revolution is the handheld device. People are perfectly happy to get these devices out of their pockets in the street to update their social networking sites or check their emails, which isn’t the case with laptops”.
Hughes continued, “Pretty soon there will be a Wi-Fi hotspot on every corner in the UK”.
BT currently has just over 500,000 Wi-Fi broadband hotspots in the UK and is doubling its Wi-Fi traffic on its Openzone network every year.
With a recent contract won to supply Wi-Fi broadband services to Starbuck coffee stores across the UK, the company firmly believes there is the potential to grow its Wi-Fi traffic even faster.
BT Total Broadband customers can use BT Wi-Fi hotspots for free by using their Wi-Fi minutes allowance in their BT contract.
TalkTalk To End 3 Months Free Broadband Deal
TalkTalk (talktalk.co.uk) has announced that it is to end its 3 months free broadband and phone deal this Wednesday, the 26th August.
The offer, available on its popular broadband and phone ‘Essentials’ package, provides a saving of just under £20 for new customers joining the company.
The ‘Essentials’ package provides customers with inclusive evening & weekend phone calls to UK landlines together with broadband speeds up to 8Mb with a 40Gb usage cap.
Anytime local daytime phone calls are included with offpeak calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers also part of the package.
Customers requiring additional usage allowance, security and increased broadband speeds can pay from £2 a month extra for TalkTalk ‘Boosts’.
Customers switching to TalkTalk are likely to not need a MAC code from their existing broadband supplier as they will be moving on to TalkTalk’s own LLU broadband network which covers 80% of the UK.
The 3 months free broadband and phone offer can be ordered online at the TalkTalk.co.uk website or by calling TalkTalk on 0800 049 7865.
Our Talk Talk Broadband review also has more information.
TalkTalk Broadband In Free Cash Giveaway
TalkTalk (talktalk.co.uk) is giving away free cash to prove that companies can still give something back to the public with no strings attached.
This latest promotion from the UK’s ‘brighter phone and broadband company’ involves the firm using a group of ex-pickpockets (known as ‘put-pockets’) who literally ‘put’ up to £20 cash into the pockets of unsuspecting members of the public.
The cash includes a branded card that says where the cash came from and also includes a message highlighting TalkTalk’s value for money broadband and phone services.
The activity is currently taking place in key London locations like Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden, together with the capitals tube network.
TalkTalk’s Communications Director, Mark Schmid said, “Britons have become very sceptical of companies giving money away – so we have turned to Put-Pocketing to give something back. Whilst unconventional, we don’t think anyone is going to mind finding a crisp £20 in their pocket”.
Schmid continued, “The activity will avoid the City and Canary Wharf financial areas as we want to give the money to people who actually need it. The Put-Pockets have actually been briefed to avoid people that look like they are very well-off”.
TalkTalk plan to roll out the iniative to major UK cities from September, while London’s activity lasts until the end of August.
Those readers not fortunate to find a free £20 note in their back pocket can still save nearly £20 by switching to TalkTalk and getting 3 months free broadband and phone.
Further information can be found in our TalkTalk Broadband and Phone review.
50p Broadband Tax Plan Could Be Scrapped
Plans unveiled in the Digital Britiain report for a 50p broadband tax could yet be scrapped following a week of mixed messages from Government officials.
The proposed 50p per month broadband tax to be levied on every UK home with a landline was put forward to help fund the roll out of next generation broadband across the UK and in particular, to ensure each UK home had access to at least 2Mb broadband speeds.
Since the publication of the plans, there has been much debate surrounding whether the tax raised would be anywhere near enough to fund the project.
There has also been an angry reaction from consumers who naturally do not wish to have to pay another tax.
Such a reaction caused Stephen Timms, the new Communications Minister, to hint that the broadband tax plans could be scrapped in the run up to the general election next year.
Commenting on this to the Times newspaper at the weekend, Timms said, “If the question is, is the levy definitely going to be legislated for this side of the election, I can’t say for sure. Things that are contentious will have to be left until after the election”.
However, a Business, Innovation and Skills Department spokeswoman told The Register today that “Uk.gov remains committed to the timetable for introducing the 50p levy on fixed lines in 2010, as set out in the Digital Britain report”.
The spokeswoman continued, “We will be consulting on the ‘Final Third fund’ in the autumn, but no final decisions have yet been made about the legislative vehicle for introduction of the levy”.
With the Conservative party against the broadband tax plans, the future of the 50p broadband tax could well be decided after next years election.
