2009 April 
BT has launched what it claims is the cheapest home and mobile broadband package around, starting at just £15.95 a month. BT Total Broadband customers can now get up to 8Mbps wireless broadband at home as well as 1GB monthly mobile broadband for as little as £308.08 over 18 months.
Customers can enjoy speeds of up to 7.2Mbps on the go through the USB modem which works over the 3G network. Simply plug the USB modem into a laptop and be online in a matter of minutes.
The USB modem itself costs £9.99 for customers on BT’s Option 3 package, and £49.99 for customers who subscribe to Options 1 and 2. Customers receive the dongle itself, plus 1GB usage allowance a month when signing up to an 18 month contract. This offer is available in conjunction with the current 3 months free offer and is only available online.
Posted by Ellie on April 28th 2009 in BT Broadband, Broadband, Mobile Broadband
Tiscali has once again renewed talks to sell of its UK business, and once again, Carphone Warehouse is thought to be the favourite to buy up.
The debt-ridden ISP has now entered “negotiations for the disposal of its activities in the UK”, which Tiscali are hoping to complete by the end of the month.
A piece in the Telegraph yesterday says that Carphone was thought to have stumped up £200 million, less than half of the £450 million figure that Sky offered Tiscali last year.
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Posted by Tom on April 25th 2009 in Broadband
You want some complimentary Wi-Fi to go with your iPhone and vanilla low carb mocha? Well thanks to O2 and BT Broadband you can.
Further to the announcement that all Starbucks outlets across the UK and Ireland are to be fully furnished with Wi-Fi networks courtesy of BT Openzone comes the news that iPhone owners and O2 Mobile Broadband customers will also be able to surf for free whilst slurping a skinny latte.
As of now, iPhone owners can hop on to the internet using a Starbucks/BT Openzone connection for free, whilst O2 Mobile Broadband customers will be able to surf gratis from a yet to be specified date in the summer – more on this as and when we hear it.
Until then, O2 Mobile Broadband customers can sign up for access to BT Openzone hot spots for £7.34 a month.
The good news for iPhone owners is that you can now sit and sip with your iPhone and get back to that novel you’ve been working on, after installing the ‘WriteBook’ app…
Posted by Tom on April 23rd 2009 in BT Broadband, Mobile Broadband, O2 Broadband, Starbucks
Carphone Warehouse has decided to put an end to speculation regarding the break up with TalkTalk… by announcing that the group is breaking up.
Whilst the demerger won’t happen for some time yet, Carphone founder Charles Dunstone said that the current economic climate will “undoubtedly present challenges” which may see the broadband provider split from its parent company “in the year ahead”.
Under Carphone’s plan, the high street mobile retailer and broadband provider TalkTalk would be split into two separate companies.
“We are well funded, and have clear and simple strategies for our two businesses which balance growth with tight operational efficiency and cash generation,” said Mr Dunstone.
It is unsure whether AOL will merge with the TalkTalk, or remain part of the Carphone Warehouse group.
Posted by Tom on April 22nd 2009 in AOL, Broadband, Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk
You want some complimentary Wi-Fi to go with your low fat hazelnut sprinkling-topped soya grande latte? Well thanks to BT Broadband you can.
Thanks to a deal done with coffee giants Starbucks, you can now slurp ‘n surf in any of the 678 coffee houses in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Yes, there’s really that many Starbucks here.
“Starbucks is the perfect place to work or catch up over email,” says Chris Bruce CEO of BT Openzone, the Wi-Fi arm of the broadband market leaders.
“Use of our Wi-Fi doubled last year and coffee shops are increasingly popular as a third place to work or log on to the internet. We’re constantly looking to boost the choice of places to connect – where people want it. The location of Starbucks stores in the high street and travel hubs is helping to extend the reach of Wi-Fi to customers.”
BT Broadband Options 1 and 2 give you 250 and 350 Wi-Fi minutes per month respectively, with the high end Option 3 package giving you unlimited Wi-Fi minutes.
These allow you to surf the web on your laptop at any of the BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots, including the ones just set up in every Starbucks in the British Isles. Now you can sit and sip with your laptop and get back to that screenplay/novel you’ve been meaning to work on.
Posted by Tom on April 20th 2009 in BT Broadband, Starbucks
BT has revealed the first areas in the UK to receive its next-gen services. The broadband market leader will deploy its first fibre connections in the suburbs of Muswell Hill in north London and Whitchurch in northern Cardiff this summer.
These regions will form part of a trial before full scale roll out of the £1.5 billion network begins early next year. Average download speeds available are said to be around the 40Mbps mark, with 60Mbps being earmarked as the theoretical ‘up to’ speed.
Steve Robertson, chief executive officer of BT Openreach, said that next-gen broadband is “essential to the future of the UK”.
“The wider industry will now be able to plan ahead as we will be making our services available on a wholesale basis. This approach will benefit customers as there will undoubtedly be fierce competition for their business.”
It was announced last month that BT would also be trialling its next-gen services in rural areas in order to collect a wealth of data. Areas provisionally earmarked for this included the Calder Valley near Halifax and Taffs Well in South Wales, although no further information about deployment in theses areas has been announced.
Posted by Tom on April 15th 2009 in BT Broadband, Mobile Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
From today BT are offering three months free broadband to customers who return to the company for their phone calls.
Customers who sign up for BT’s ‘Broadband and Calls’ package or ‘Broadband, Calls and Vision’ will receive BT Total Broadband free for three months. Alternatively, customers who choose to opt for broadband only on BT’s Option 1 and Option 3 packages before 28th April will benefit from £10 and £30 credit respectively on their bill.
The free broadband offer which begins tomorrow applies to all customers who sign up to the above BT broadband bundles before 12th May. The deal is only available online.
BT Total Broadband includes the award-winning BT Home Hub, download speeds of up to 8Mbps, internet security from McAfee and 250 to unlimited inclusive Wi-Fi minutes a month depending on which package you choose. BT Total Broadband starts at £15.65 a month after the first three months of an 18 month contract.
Posted by Ellie on April 15th 2009 in BT Broadband, Broadband, Broadband Bundles, Free Broadband
The Samsung NC10 Mini-Laptop has been voted best mini laptop on the market in a review on Channel 5′s Gadget Show. The notebook is currently available free on the 3GB and 10GB 24 Month O2 Mobile Broadband contracts.
During the show, ITV newsreader Julie Etchingham tested three mini laptops – the Acer Eee PC 1000H, Acer Aspire One D150, and the Samsung NC10 – in the hope of finding one that she could use on the move. Though all three laptops were highly portable, the Samsung won Julie’s vote of confidence due to its larger 10.2″ display, easy to operate track pad and well-spaced keyboard. The screen also responded well to various light conditions, including harsh sunlight.
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Posted by Ellie on April 14th 2009 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, O2 Broadband
O2 have got in on the mobile broadband laptop act. O2 are giving away a Samsung NC10 Mini-Laptop FREE to any customer who signs up for O2 Mobile Broadband for 24 months.
The Samsung NC10 – worth around £300 – comes with Windows XP, McAfee Virus Scan, and a 160GB hard drive. A lightweight neoprene slipcase (pictured) which is black with a blue edging, echoing the O2 Mobile Broadband colour scheme, is also included.
The Samsung NC10 is available free to those who sign up for either the 3GB or 10GB 24 Month plan, for £29.38 and £39.15 a month respectively. The cost of the O2 E169 USB Modem is included in the contract.
Posted by Tom on April 8th 2009 in Mobile Broadband, O2 Broadband
Allergy Warning: this Broadband Finder blog post may contain traces of pun.
Word on the street says that BT Broadband is rolling with a hare-brained broadband scheme in the run up to Easter. The leading provider of broadband services in the UK has put together a cracking deal for customers thinking of hopping over to BT for their broadband services.
From now until midnight on Tuesday 28th of April, customers ordering any of the BT Broadband Options online can claim up to £30 eggstra off of their bill. Those who sign up for either BT Broadband Option 1 and Option 3 can claim up to £10 and £30 credit respectively.
Both of these broadband offerings provide top download speeds of 8Mbps, and come with the new improved BT Home Hub included free of charge. Note that there is currently not an offer available for Option 2. Enough rabbiting on about it – if you fancy signing up for one of these eggcellent deals, hop on over to the main BT Broadband page.
Posted by Tom on April 7th 2009 in BT Broadband
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