Broadband quadplay will lead to more competition

Broadband Genie, the online service for <a href='comparing broadband providers, says the introduction of NTL "quadplay" will lead to further competition in the broadband market and more "bundled" products.

"Bundles" are where broadband is sold in a package with other products such as digital TV channels, landline calls and mobile phones contracts.

NTL is offering a "4 for £40" deal. The package includes a 2Mb broadband connection with no download restrictions, firewall and anti-virus software, more than 30 digital TV channels, free weekend calls to any UK landline with your home phone and a Virgin Mobile Sim card with 300 texts and 300 minutes of calls each month. Existing customers that currently subscribe to NTL’s "3 for £30" package can simply add on a mobile phone for £10 a month.

The past few months have seen several similar packages hit the market. TalkTalk offers broadband alongside home phone services, Sky combines it with digital TV and Orange now offers free broadband to customers spending £30 or more a month on a mobile phone contract.

Philip Wilkinson, Broadband Genie CEO, commented:

"While these packages generally offer good value, customers should consider whether they will use all the components before signing up.

"Customers should shop around before settling on a broadband deal and if you commit to other products at the same time, this becomes even more important. When buying broadband, other factors such as speed and download limits should be considered before signing up. These can be checked out at broadbandgenie.co.uk."


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 1Mb (slowest) to 24Mb (fastest). The majority of connections are now 2Mb to 8Mb, 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.