Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News

Virgin Media Tops Ofcom Broadband Speed Test

By Steve T — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:43:46 +0000

Virgin Media Broadband (virginmedia.com/broadbandspeeds) has come out top in the UK’s most comprehensive broadband speed research conducted by Ofcom and broadband monitoring specialists SamKnows.

During May 2010, over 18 million performance tests were carried out in 1,500 UK homes with the results (published on Wednesday) showing that fibre optic cable broadband services delivered much faster actual download speeds than comparable ADSL services provided via a telephone line.

Virgin Media’s up to 10Mbps and up to 20Mbps fibre optic broadband packages delivered actual average download speeds of between 8.2Mbps to 8.8Mbps and 15.7Mbps to 17.3Mbps respectively.

These speeds were found to be around twice as fast as the actual average speeds recorded for those ADSL packages from the likes of Sky, O2 and Plusnet with the same or similar headline ‘up to’ speed.

Commenting on the research, Virgin Media’s Executive Director of Broadband, Jon James said: “Ofcom’s broadband speeds report again proves Virgin Media is consistently more than twice as fast as any of our ADSL competitors. Because we use a next generation fibre optic cable network, our customers can be confident of receiving 90% of the headline speed they buy from us”.

Virgin Media’s up to 50Mbps broadband package was found to deliver actual average download speeds of between 44.4Mbps and 46.5Mbps.

Virgin Broadband prices, when taken with Virgin Media telephone line rental, start from £5 a month for their 10Mbps package, £10 per month for 20Mbps and £15 a month for 50Mbps. Weekend phone calls to UK landlines are included.

55% of UK homes are able to access Virgin Media’s fibre optic broadband network, while no MAC code is usually required from a customer’s existing broadband provider to switch to Virgin Media.

Readers can find out more at the virginmedia.com website.

BE Broadband 2 Months Free Deal Nearing End

By Sue A — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:21:13 +0000

BE Broadband’s (bethere.co.uk) July offer of 2 months free home broadband is drawing to a close with the offer due to end this Saturday.

The web exclusive offer applies to the BE Unlimited and BE Pro Broadband packages that are available on 12 month contracts priced at £17.88 per month and £21.97 a month respectively.

New customers signing up online at the bethere.co.uk website can generate savings of up to £43.94 provided they remember to use BE’s special discount code ‘FREEMONTHS’ when prompted during the online ordering process.

Both BE Unlimited and BE Pro broadband packages provide download speeds up to 24Mbps with BE Pro offering increased upload speeds up to 2.5Mbps compared to BE Unlimited’s 1.3Mbps.

Free customer support and a free wireless router is included in both packages.

BE Broadband was recently awarded ‘Best Consumer Fixed Broadband’ by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA).

Readers can find out more about the BE Broadband 2 months free offer at their official bethere.co.uk website.

TalkTalk Broadband Free Connection Offer Ending Soon

By David L — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:53:27 +0000

TalkTalk Broadband (talktalk.co.uk) looks set to end its web exclusive free connection offer this Saturday the 31st July.

The offer, available to 80% of UK households and worth £29.99, applies to new customers signing up online at the talktalk.co.uk website to either the TalkTalk Essentials or Plus broadband and phone package.

The TalkTalk Essentials package costs £6.99 a month and provides broadband speeds up to 24Mbps, plus inclusive evening and weekend phone calls to UK landlines.

The TalkTalk Broadband service comes with a useful 40GB monthly download usage allowance, while the phone element of the Essentials package includes free off-peak phone calls to 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers.

Customers requiring unlimited downloads (subject to a fair usage policy) can opt for the TalkTalk Plus package at £14.99 per month.

This package offers unlimited broadband speeds up to 24Mbps plus unlimited anytime phone calls to UK landlines and 0845/0870 numbers.

Both packages provide free technical and customer support, plus a free wireless router.

According to TalkTalk, customers can save £144 versus BT by taking their Essentials package, while higher savings of £237 can be achieved with the TalkTalk Plus package.

Readers wanting to take advantage of TalkTalk’s free connnection offer before it expires this Saturday can find out more at the TalkTalk.co.uk website or by phoning TalkTalk on 0800 049 7865.

Virginmedia.com/skyhd Offers Sky Sports HD On Virgin

By Steve T — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:10:15 +0000

Virgin Media (Virginmedia.com/skyhd) has added Sky Sports HD1 and Sky Sports HD2 to its High Definition TV line up with customers able to watch the premium channels from the 2nd of August.

Existing Virgin Media customers already subscribing to a Virgin TV package containing Sky Sports in standard definition need only pay an additional £7 a month on top of their TV package for the HD subscription.

The Virgin Media V HD set top box is required and is currently free of charge, while the V+HD box costs a one-off £49.

New customers considering joining Virgin Media can choose from 3 specially created football TV packages. These cost from £27.50 a month and include 65 digital TV channels, Sky Sports HD1 and HD2, Sky Sports 3 and 4, Sky Sports News, plus unlimited UK weekend landline calls.

On demand catch up TV services like the BBC iPlayer, ITV Net Player, 4OD and the Virgin 1 Player are also included in the package and can be watched on Virgin TV.

Commenting on the launch, Virgin Media’s Executive Director of Digital Entertainment, Cindy Rose, said: “As the new home of HD telly, we’re delighted to bring our customers Sky Sports in HD at incredibly competitive rates.

Rose continued: “With the rapid growth of HD content, customers are demanding more and more from their TV service, and with our growing range of HD channels and on demand content in HD, Virgin Media is the best place for the whole families’ entertainment needs”.

Ten Sky Movies HD channels have also been added, which together with the forthcoming additions of Sky1 HD and Sky Arts HD brings Virgin Media’s total number of HD channels to 30.

Virgin Media’s HD sport line up also includes ESPN HD, EuroSport HD, BBC HD and ITV1 HD with the latter three not costing any additional subscription cost.

Interesed readers can find out more and build their own TV, broadband, phone and Sky Sports bundle at the Virginmedia.com/skyhd website.

Readers can also review Sky’s own Sky Sports HD offer with free broadband and phone calls at the Sky.com/skysports website – with new customers subscribing to Sky+HD online also qualifying for a free £50 Marks & Spencer voucher.

Sky.com/skysports Offers The Full Sky Sports Line Up

By Sue A — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:52:18 +0000

Sky (Sky.com/skysports) is using a new TV advert featuring Eric Cantona to remind new and existing customers that the full Sky Sports line up containing all 5 Sky sports channels is only available with Sky TV.

With rival Sky Sports offerings from BT and Virgin Media, Sky TV is the only destination where ALL 5 Sky Sports and news channels are available – Giving subscribers exclusive live coverage of the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Ryder Cup, the Ashes and lots more.

New customers joining Sky can get Sky TV (including 1 Entertainment Pack) with the Sky Sports Pack containing all 5 Sky Sport channels for just £39 a month.

This package also includes a free Sky+ box (usually £49), free Sky Broadband with up to 20Mb broadband speeds and free evening and weekend phone calls to UK landlines with Sky Talk Freetime.

Free standard set up (usually £30) is also being offered together with free Sky Sports access on a laptop and iPhone until the end of 2010.

New customers can also upgrade to Sky’s High Definition (HD) pack for an extra £10 a month and get all Sky Sports channels in HD, with Sky Sports News HD also launching soon.

Existing Sky TV customers can easily add the Sky Sports pack for an extra £20 a month, or pay an extra £30 a month for the HD pack.

All of Sky’s best value offers are exclusively available on their website with new customers also qualifying for a free £25 Marks & Spencer voucher when they sign up to Sky+ online at the Sky.com/skysports website.

New customers subscribing to Sky+HD online qualify for a free £50 Marks & Spencer voucher.

Interesed readers can find out more at Sky.com.

3 Mobile Offer New iPad SIM Card Deals For iPad 3G

By David L — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:16:28 +0000

3 Mobile (three.co.uk/iPad) has launched two new iPad SIM card deals for the iPad 3G with prices starting from £7.50 a month.

The two new tariffs, both available on short one month contracts, are now on sale at the three.co.uk/iPad website.

For £7.50 a month, iPad 3G users can get the 3 iPad SIM card (Micro-SIM) with 1GB of data allowance per month.

Users wanting a higher monthly data allowance can opt for 3’s 10GB iPad data plan which costs £15 a month.

Three operates the UK’s biggest 3G network with mobile broadband speeds up to 7.2Mbps. The company has iPad SIM card deals available on a pay as you go and one month contract basis.

3’s PAYG iPad SIM cards come pre-loaded with a set data allowance. Prices start from £10 for a 3 PAYG iPad SIM with 1GB of data or £20 for 3GB.

The pre-loaded data allowance is valid for 30 days with top ups available when customers run out of data. Top ups cost £10 for 1GB, £15 for 3GB and £25 for 7GB.

3 Mobile offer free delivery and a 14 day returns policy for their iPad SIM cards.

Readers can find out further information at the three.co.uk/iPad website.

3 Mobile Broadband Rated Best UK Provider

By Steve T — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:40:28 +0000

Mobile Internet provider 3 (three.co.uk) has been rated the UK’s best mobile broadband provider in the latest YouGov survey of mobile broadband users.

Three came out top in ten of the twelve qualifying categories including reliability, billing, best value for money, overall quality of service and ease of use.

Three operates the UK’s largest mobile broadband 3G network covering 95% of the UK population. It has the largest mobile broadband market share with 35%.

Commenting on Three’s success, Joe Parker, Three’s Director of Mobile Broadband, said: “It’s great that our customers have rated us the Number One Mobile Broadband provider in the UK. It is a customer endorsement of the massive investment we have been put into our network over the past two years and the speed at which this programme is developing. The network continues to grow in reach, speed and capacity”.

Parker continued: “It also shows that what customers value most when it comes to mobile broadband are reliability, speed, coverage, ease of use and great pricing – areas where we excel in the latest YouGov survey”.

Around 2,000 customers from Three, Vodafone, Orange, O2 and T-Mobile were involved in the YouGov survey where they were asked to rate the level of service they received from their mobile broadband provider.

3 Mobile Broadband offers download speeds up to 7.2Mbps and has pricing plans starting from £7.50 a month for 1GB of data allowance.

Readers can find out more information at the three.co.uk website.

BE Broadband Offer Code Gives 2 Months Free

By Sue A — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:06:04 +0000

BE Broadband (bethere.co.uk) has released an offer code that entitles new customers to 2 months free home broadband.

The launch of the new offer code comes as BE Broadband celebrates its recent award for ‘Best Consumer Fixed Broadband’ given at the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) 2010 awards last week.

New customers can use the offer code, called ‘FREEMONTHS’, to receive 2 months free on either BE Unlimited Broadband or BE Pro Broadband (12 month contracts apply).

To qualify, orders for BE Unlimited or BE Pro Broadband must be made online at the bethere.co.uk website, using the code ‘FREEMONTHS’ by the 31st July.

BE Unlimited Broadband provides download speeds up to 24Mbps and upload speeds up to 1.3Mbps. Usually £17.88 a month, the offer code saves new customers £35.76.

Higher savings of £43.94 can be made when new customers switch to BE Pro Broadband. BE Pro offers the same up to 24Mbps broadband download speeds as BE Unlimited, but with increased upload speeds of up to 2.5Mbps.

A free wireless modem, plus free customer and technical support is included as standard on both packages.

Readers can find out more at the bethere.co.uk website.

Plusnet Broadband Discount Code Gives 3 Months Free

By David L — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:12:57 +0000

Plusnet Broadband (plus.net) has launched a new discount code that gives new customers ordering online their first 3 months broadband free of charge.

The offer applies to all 3 Plusnet Broadband packages, meaning new customers can choose from Plusnet Value, Plusnet Extra and Plusnet Pro Broadband.

Customers can also redeem the offer against any of Plusnet’s 4 broadband and home phone bundle packages.

To qualify for the 3 months free broadband offer, customers must order their chosen package online at the plus.net website, remembering to enter the discount code ‘treat3′ when prompted.

Plusnet currently offers one of the UK’s cheapest stand alone broadband packages at just £6.49 a month for download speeds up to 8Mbps.

A 10GB monthly usage allowance is included with this package together with a free usage allowance between midnight and 8am.

Readers can find further information on the 3 months free offer at the plus.net website.

Vodafone Add Samsung N150 Laptop With Broadband

By Steve T — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:45:30 +0000

Vodafone (vodafone.co.uk) has launched a new mobile broadband and laptop package that features the Samsung N150 netbook with a built in modem for Vodafone mobile broadband access.

The Samsung N150 is a lightweight and compact netbook that offers an impressive 12-hour battery life which means you can leave the charger at home or in the office.

Installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, the netbook also features a 1.6Ghz Atom processor, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and an integrated webcam.

With the built in modem (there’s no need to plug in a separate USB stick or dongle) users can be online in minutes utilising Vodafone mobile broadband speeds up to 7.2Mbps or a Wi-Fi hotspot.

This mobile broadband and laptop package comes with a 1GB monthly download usage allowance, which means users can send around 1,000 emails a month, surf the Internet for 10 hours, download 5 four minute videos and download 32 four minute music tracks.

Available on a 24 month contract, this package costs just £25 a month with an upfront fee of £29 required. Customers wanting a higher monthly download usage allowance can opt for a 3GB limit and pay a total of £30 a month.

Interested readers can find out more at the vodafone.co.uk website.