BT Broadband Deals

Broadband is one of those things that will be different for everyone; it depends on how you use the service. For some people, it is all about a basic service that won’t break the bank, whereas others require streaming and gaming, so are looking for the fastest option possible. Of course, your requirements change the amount you pay, so a little bit of research is recommended to make sure you get the best deal for you. 

BT was the only choice for a long time and still remains one of the major players in the industry. They have a wide range of options so you may well find the best deal for you still sits with them. Many broadband deals can also incorporate television and phone services which gives you a more significant saving and places them all within one easy package so be sure to check that out as well. The only thing that might impact your choice is the availability in your area, but there are plenty of ways to check what is on offer and our comprehensive reviews are here to help you make the best choice for you. 

When it comes to starting the search, many people focus on the numbers on the screen and just look to pay the cheapest figure they can. While this is understandable, it can actually be a false economy, so you need to take care to dig a little deeper. It can be exciting to see a deal that compares to your needs and has a much lower price than you currently pay, but often these are offers to hook new business, and it is only lower for a fixed period of say three months before it reverts to something that could actually be more than you realise. 

There are customers who jump from offer to offer, but this can get very complex, and you will also find get-out clauses that will make you pay for breaking a contract before the full term. Most deals are either for 12 month or 18 months and occasionally a few who offer a more flexible term. If you can get a really good price that lasts for the whole duration, there is nothing wrong with going for 18 months. Just take care if you are planning to move, renting or in student accommodation because leaving - even to a new address can be classed as early termination and feeds are applied. Finally, you must consider the speed and strength of the connection in terms of how many people use the internet at the same time, and how fast you need it to be. But, there is no point overpaying so don’t go for something that is too fast for your needs as you will get a perfectly good, slightly slower speed, for less money. 

You will often hear fibre-optic broadband referred to as fibre, and the two terms are interchangeable, and there is no difference. It was named after the cabling used, and this was part of a step forwards in terms of how we get our services delivered. Until fibre-optics was introduced the UK used the mobile networks and copper telephone lines to provide the service and connect homes. Fibre-Optic means that the cables are made of plastic or glass, which has the advantage of enabling more information to be delivered along them, which makes the speed quicker than we had come to expect with ADSL. 

These are being used to replace the copper network all over the UK, and the coverage is already nicely comprehensive. So basically fibre will be faster than ADSL every time, but there are still some variations in speed depending on what is available in your home area. This is because it can reach the property in a few different ways, and this can vary the speed from 36Mbps right up to 900Mbps. Speeds also vary between providers which is why it is worth shopping around, and this is down to how they get the broadband from the telephone cabinet to your door. Technically with fibre, there is no need for a phone line as it not needed to deliver the service, but currently, most packages do still include a phone line whether you need it or not. 

Checking the coverage in your area is, therefore, a good thing to do. If you already have broadband, you can run a test on your own network to see the current speeds you get. This means you know where to start looking in terms of speed needed. You can then look at each provider and see what they are offering. If you are struggling with slow speeds, you need something faster, and if you are happy just trying to see if you can save money, then you already know you have a suitable upload and download speed so can look for something comparable. Here are a few tips to getting the best for you. 

1-2 people in the home browsing and using things like social media-look for speeds of 0-30Mbps and consider ADSL, which averages 10Mbps.

Three or more people in the home-all wanting access at the same time, streaming video should look for speeds of 30-60Mbps and need to consider fibre as this is more likely to give you what you need.

Streaming households-a house full of teens gaming and watching videos, adults subscribed to streaming services, and more. Aim for 60-100Mbps anything below just won’t cut it. Look for faster fibre, and you will be pleased that the cost is only a little more each month in most cases. 

Home business, or need large downloads and files regularly. Having many devices all connected at once streaming, gaming and more. Look for 100Mbps to ensure conference calls are stable and there is no buffering. Highest speed fibre-optic is recommended if available in the area.