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They say there's no such thing as free lunch, any whoever they are, they're right. When you shop around for broadband services these days, you'll invariably come across offers of 'free' broadband. Whilst it's true that there are a number of broadband products and services going for free, they are all without exception dependent upon you signing up for a secondary service, such as a digital TV package, phone line rental and calls, a mobile phone contract, or an in-store laptop broadband bundle deal.
| Provider | Package | Speed | Cap/Limit | Contract Length | Monthly Cost | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Broadband | Unlimited Broadband & Evening and Weekend Calls | 20 | Unlimited | Free | £5 | 0800 072 2357 | ||||
| O2 Broadband | The Basics | 20 | 20 | Free | £8.5 | 0800 198 1359 | ||||
| O2 Broadband | The All Rounder | 20 | Unlimited | Free | £12.5 | 0800 198 1359 | ||||
| BT Broadband | Broadband and Anytime Calls | 20 | Unlimited | Free | £16 | 0800 328 1522 | ||||
| O2 Broadband | The Works | 20 | Unlimited | Free | £21 | 0800 198 1359 |
Broadband internet access is considered to be as important a home utility as heating, water and electricity these days as it allows you to do so much more from the home, such as shopping for better deals, some of which are only available online, and keeping in contact with friends. As such it's now common to be able to sign up for broadband services in conjunction with mobile phone contracts, digital TV subscriptions and phone line rental along with fixed-line call packages.
Free Broadband deals are a good idea for small families or students who only want the internet to check things like train times, holiday dates, or shopping orders online, or make use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Myspace - things which don't necessarily require a lightning fast and expensive connection.
Free broadband products often come with download speeds rarely exceeding 8Mbps, with 2Mbps being the most common download speed available - this speed is generally enough to suffice for watching programmes on the BBC iPlayer. Conversely, free broadband services might come with a small usage limit as little as 2GB per month. Most basic level broadband services these days come with usage limits of around 5-10GB per month.
As free broadband services typically require you to sign up for another service, you will usually be tied into a broadband contract which lasts for the duration of the parent service. For example, if your digital TV subscription or mobile contract lasts for 12 or 18 months, then you may be obliged to keep the broadband contract for the same duration, or it may be the case that cancelling the TV or phone contract may require you to start paying for the broadband, which you would be otherwise getting for free.
Other broadband products that come under the 'Free' umbrella are those which do not come with a connection fee or cost for set up, or without a specified contact length (30 day broadband) or without a specified monthly usage limit.
