| Nearly every home in the UK has access to the | | | | month. Ensure you will be able to afford the higher rate |
| internet, and most of those now have a broadband | | | | for the full term. |
| connection. But for the uninitiated, what exactly is | | | | Contract - the contract length should be taken into |
| broadband all about? | | | | account, as well as any fees payable for cancelling |
| In a nutshell, broadband is a faster connection to the | | | | early. Most broadband contracts are 12 months, but |
| internet. Instead of the 'dial-up' method, where you get | | | | some can be as long as 18 months; the monthly fees |
| a speed of around 56 kilobits per second, an average | | | | on these tend to be lower but the cancellation fees |
| broadband connection is potentially 16 megabits per | | | | higher. There are some providers who offer 1 month |
| second (one megabit is 1024 kilobits). Another | | | | contracts, but you would still have to pay a penalty fee |
| advantage of broadband is the separate connection | | | | if you cancel your service within 12 months. |
| from your phone; a broadband modem comes with a | | | | Speed - One of the most frequent complaints |
| splitter box which divides your landline between your | | | | consumers have about their broadband is that the |
| modem and the phone so you can talk while surfing | | | | speed they get doesn't match the speed they pay for. |
| the net. | | | | Sadly, around 96% of broadband users get |
| There are two main types of broadband connection: | | | | considerably less than the advertised speed. For |
| ADSL and Cable. ADSL simply uses your existing | | | | example; if someone had an 'up to' 8mb connection, in |
| phone line and, via a special modem, converts it to a | | | | reality they may only get speeds of 2 or 3mb. This is |
| high-speed connection. Cable is delivered via a special | | | | due in part to your distance from the broadband |
| cable which can also transmit your telephone and | | | | exchange, but can be caused by the time of day you |
| digital TV, if you wish. Not all areas have cable access, | | | | go on, or a number of other things. Most providers will |
| so for some the ADSL connection may be the only | | | | now test your line to give you a reasonable idea of |
| option. | | | | the speed you can expect. |
| Some of the main benefits of having a broadband | | | | Usage caps - You may have seen broadband |
| connection are: | | | | packages advertised with '2GB download limit' or |
| Speed - Practically everything you can do on the | | | | some such offer. This means that you can download |
| internet - web applications, online games, watching | | | | up to 2GB of data in one month. It sounds a lot but |
| videos - will be faster with broadband. | | | | remember, every webpage you look at counts as a |
| Constant connection - Most broadband accounts are | | | | download - if you're a die-hard web surfer or you like |
| constantly connected to the internet, meaning you don't | | | | watching online movies etc, you may be more suited |
| have to worry about your connection dropping when | | | | to a higher limit or unlimited usage. |
| you're in the middle of downloading PC updates etc. | | | | Availability - Not all broadband providers cover all of |
| Flat monthly rate - Rather than watching the clock or | | | | the UK. You may find that the provider with the |
| only going online in the evening - the busiest time - with | | | | cheapest deal doesn't have an exchange near you; in |
| a broadband connection you just pay a flat fee every | | | | this case you would have to find one who does. If you |
| month and you can use the internet any time for as | | | | have a phone line with Telewest or NTL you may be |
| long as you like. | | | | limited to broadband with that company. Those with |
| More to do - With broadband you can do so much | | | | BT lines tend to have more choice. |
| more than with a dial-up connection. You can use your | | | | Bundles - Some providers offer a media bundle - |
| PC as a television, play games online against other | | | | phone, broadband and sometimes digital TV for a |
| real-life players (World of Warcraft is an example), | | | | single monthly rate. Often you can get a good deal |
| and even use it to call others in the world for free. The | | | | with one of these bundles, but only if you genuinely |
| latter uses a program called Skype, and calls between | | | | need all the services. If you only need broadband, then |
| two Skype users are free regardless of distance. | | | | look for a stand-alone package. |
| When comparing broadband packages for the first | | | | Customer reviews - if you're on a dial-up connection |
| time, there are things you need to be aware of. Signing | | | | this may take a while, but it's always worth looking at |
| up with a broadband provider is a contract like any | | | | reviews by existing or past customers of broadband |
| other, so make sure you know what you're getting | | | | providers to give you an idea of what to expect. |
| yourself into. | | | | There have been reports of shoddy customer service |
| Price - the price you see advertised may not always | | | | from some, which of course you wouldn't be aware of |
| be the price you pay. Often a new user will be offered | | | | until it happened to you! Save yourself the stress by |
| an introductory rate of £6.49 per month, but | | | | doing your research. |
| after three months this could rise to £12.99 per | | | | |