Get help comparing broadband this Christmas

New figures last week revealed that ‘broadband’ is now the top product search term on the internet in the UK. Broadband Genie, the specialist online service for comparing broadband ( http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/help/Comparing_broadband ), puts this down to a combination of back-to-school and Christmas surges.

Philip Wilkinson, Broadband Genie CEO, commented:

“Now is a great time for people looking for broadband: price wars are driving the costs down, while speeds just get faster and faster.

“We’ve found the biggest driver over the past two months has been kids starting a new school year and needing internet access at home to help with schoolwork. This is now coinciding with the annual Christmas spending spree on new computers, which is a great time to get broadband or switch providers for a better deal.

“Consumers know that they can get better broadband deals on the internet, because they can use comparison services such as Broadband Genie to quickly compare a wide range of packages and deals.”

Genie tips for comparing broadband

The main things to consider when comparing broadband services include:

1. Price. Generally, broadband will set you back between £10 and £50 a month, but most services now slot into the £15-20/month bracket.

2. Speed. This is becoming less important as broadband connections get exponentially faster, but you can currently choose on Broadband Genie between speeds of 512k (slowest) to2Mb (fastest). The majority of connections are now 1Mb or 2Mb, which will be absolutely fine for more 'normal' users.

3. Usage caps. Monthly usage caps are an increasingly important feature of broadband packages, and could be important if you download lots of large files (such as MP3s and videos). If you don't do much downloading, just web surfing, then don't worry too much about usage caps.

4. Availability. Importantly, not all packages will be available to you (depending on your postcode, whether you have a BT line, etc.), so the first step should be to find out which broadband packages you can physically get.

5. Extras. Price is affected by what 'extras' are included in the package, such a free firewalls, email addresses, and so on. Most packages come standard with an email address or two, but not much else.

6. Brand. Price is also affected, of course, by the brand name, so you might find that comparable services cost more from a household brand name because they have a track record and have built up a certain level of trust with the buying public.


ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Broadband Genie allows users to compare broadband online ( http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/ ), and is part of Genie Group.

2. Genie Group Ltd is a leading independent provider of internet comparison shopping services in the UK, and was set up in 2004 by Philip Wilkinson (co-founder of Kelkoo UK). Genie Group’s unique selling point is ‘the Genie’, which makes personal recommendations to internet shoppers based on ground-breaking, intelligent technology. This gives Genie Group the ability to provide an enjoyable and satisfying internet shopping experience, and deliver an unmatched quality of sales leads to our affiliate merchants. Genie Group launched its flagship broadband comparison service Broadband Genie in January 2005.

3. More information can be found at http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk. Please direct all media enquiries to Ciaron Dunne (ciaron.dunne@broadbandgenie.co.uk). Interviews with Philip Wilkinson can be arranged on request.


Consumer enquiries:
samqam@googlemail.com