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How to Choose a Broadband Provider?
Category: Broadband |Date Published: 27/06/2010
The broadband market is filled with competing providers who are all looking to win over your custom, so there is no reason to part with your cash for the first contender to catch your eye, as you will be faced with a wealth of choice and ideally a good opportunity to save money. For both home and business broadband customers there is a broad range of choice out thereand the benefits of choosing carefully will be reaped over the course of your broadband contract, which could be 18 months long. Given the potential for bargain hunting offered when choosing broadband providers, it is essential to take your time and consider all options. If you are feeling a little laboured by this process, read on for some simple tips that should help clear the way.
The first choice to confront is the type of broadband you want in your home or officeand in most cases this will be limited based on your location. ADSL broadband, which is delivered via copper landline telephone connections, is the most widely availableand as a result it is also the most popular. However, if you live in an area that is serviced by Cable Broadband providers and Mobile Broadband networks, you will have even more choice. At this point it becomes necessary to break down the market further.
Connection speed is important to most customersand this will often be a deciding factor when comparing broadband providers. Most will advertise their services as capable of a theoretical maximum download and upload speed, although the best ones will admit that this ideal connection is rarely attainable in real lifeand should be able to give you an estimate of how quick your connection will be if you sign up with them. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay more for quicker connections, but always make sure that a provider is being honest about its abilitiesand get a second opinion by comparing online and reading customer reviews.
A speedy connection is all well and good, but you will need to be able to take advantage of this speed by having a decent data allowance each month. Some providers will restrict certain deals with a download cap, usually measured in gigabytes (GB), which you will not be allowed to exceed in a given month. Others will give you unlimited access, but still monitor your use and request that you stick to the regulations laid out in something called a Fair Use policy. Broadband deals with data caps will typically be cheaper, but it might limit what you can do with your internet connection, so it is worth working out just how much you will be using your connectionand what you will be using it to perform. For example, a 10GB data cap will let you surf for around 100-300 hours a month, although if you are going to be streaming videos, playing games and downloading large files, this will quickly be used up.
The best way to choose a broadband provider is to use an online price comparison site, which will independently compare the different packages based on the specific features which you are seeking, whether it be connection type, speed, download limit or cost.
The first choice to confront is the type of broadband you want in your home or officeand in most cases this will be limited based on your location. ADSL broadband, which is delivered via copper landline telephone connections, is the most widely availableand as a result it is also the most popular. However, if you live in an area that is serviced by Cable Broadband providers and Mobile Broadband networks, you will have even more choice. At this point it becomes necessary to break down the market further.
Connection speed is important to most customersand this will often be a deciding factor when comparing broadband providers. Most will advertise their services as capable of a theoretical maximum download and upload speed, although the best ones will admit that this ideal connection is rarely attainable in real lifeand should be able to give you an estimate of how quick your connection will be if you sign up with them. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay more for quicker connections, but always make sure that a provider is being honest about its abilitiesand get a second opinion by comparing online and reading customer reviews.
A speedy connection is all well and good, but you will need to be able to take advantage of this speed by having a decent data allowance each month. Some providers will restrict certain deals with a download cap, usually measured in gigabytes (GB), which you will not be allowed to exceed in a given month. Others will give you unlimited access, but still monitor your use and request that you stick to the regulations laid out in something called a Fair Use policy. Broadband deals with data caps will typically be cheaper, but it might limit what you can do with your internet connection, so it is worth working out just how much you will be using your connectionand what you will be using it to perform. For example, a 10GB data cap will let you surf for around 100-300 hours a month, although if you are going to be streaming videos, playing games and downloading large files, this will quickly be used up.
The best way to choose a broadband provider is to use an online price comparison site, which will independently compare the different packages based on the specific features which you are seeking, whether it be connection type, speed, download limit or cost.