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Cost of Living Crisis: Cheapest Broadband Deals
With the cost of living crisis in full swing, people around the country are trying to economise more than ever before. As a result, consumers are reevaluating everything from their comfort branded items to fuel consumption and utility contracts, including broadband.
If you're thinking of switching your broadband provider, we have good news. Broadband doesn't have to be expensive, and today, cheap broadband doesn't mean compromising on your needs (at least, not much).
What Options Are Available for Cheap Broadband?
You may be surprised to learn that different types of broadband are available to you even at cheaper price points. Traditionally, affordable broadband meant opting for standard broadband, but that's often not the case today. Now, you can access standard and fibre broadband for under u00a325 per month.
What is Standard (ADSL) Broadband?
ADSL is an older type of broadband that works through existing copper phone lines. It's the most basic type of broadband, and while it offers the slowest speeds, it's also extremely cost-effective. Often (but not always), the cheapest broadband UK packages are ADSL.
With more and more internet service providers (ISPs) offering superfast and ultrafast broadband speeds, many consumers overlook standard broadband believing it won't meet their needs. However, this assumption is often false.
Standard broadband speeds vary depending on where you live. Still, in 2021, the average speed of ADSL broadband was 14.7Mbps in urban areas and 6.2Mbps in rural areas. The top speed with ADSL is 24Mbps*.
To put this into context, Netflix recommends a speed of 3Mbps for Standard Definition (SD) quality and 5Mbps for High Definition (HD) quality.
In other words, standard broadband may be enough for streaming Netflix, browsing the internet, streaming music, downloading apps, and working from home (email, sending and downloading attachments).
What is Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) Broadband?
FTTC uses a combination of fibre optic and copper cables. The fibre optic cables bring the internet to the exchange cabinets in your street and then use copper cables to deliver internet from the cabinet into your home.
FTTC offers far faster speeds than ADSL and is the country's most common type of fibre connection. The other kind of fibre broadband, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), uses no copper cables. FTTP is growing in popularity but isn't yet available everywhere and is often much more expensive.
When searching for broadband deals, you may come across the terms 'Superfast' and 'Ultrafast'. Superfast refers to FTTC, while Ultrafast refers to FTTP.
While Ultrafast broadband is out of reach for the cheapest deals, Superfast isn't. In fact, cheap fibre is often less expensive than ADSL. Why? Because almost all of the UK can now access FTTC, with only a few highly remote areas being the exception.
As a result, ADSL makes up less and less of the broadband market, and some providers, like BT, will no longer offer ADSL if a fibre option is available.
Here's the bottom line. Many providers are moving away from ADSL in favour of more modern and reliable fibre connections. Or in other words, ADSL is quickly becoming outdated and its days are numbered.
Cheapest Broadband Providers
The cheapest broadband deals vary from week to week, so it's important to check the latest deals when you intend to switch. Most of the big names, including Virgin Media, Sky, Now Broadband, BT, Plusnet, and Shell Energy, offer cheap deals to new customers, with prices ranging between u00a317.99 to u00a330 a month, depending on speed.
It's also important to note that cheap broadband doesn't always mean compromising on speed. While ADSL packages are still available, some providers, like Virgin Media, have opted to abandon ADSL. Still, they offer faster broadband in the same price range as many ADSL deals.
Cheapest Broadband Deals Today
Here we highlight some of the cheapest broadband deals for different internet usage needs. And we mean cheap - we've capped the spend at u00a322 a month for this section. This list isn't exhaustive, and you can find a more comprehensive look at the latest cheap broadband deals further down.
Standard Broadband
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Shell Energy Broadband - Fast Broadband: Shell offers an 11 Mbps average speed and unlimited downloads on an 18-month contract for an average monthly cost of u00a317.99. Setup costs are u00a34.95. You also get a u00a3100 voucher!
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Now Broadband - Brilliant Broadband: 11 Mbps average speed and unlimited downloads on a 12-month contract for an average monthly cost of u00a318.42. u00a35 setup costs.
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John Lewis Broadband: Broadband and evening and weekend calls. Here you get 10Mpbs and unlimited downloads on a 12-month contract with zero setup fees for u00a320.50 per month.
Faster Broadband
Today, it's often only slightly more expensive to get fibre broadband.
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Onestream Fibre 55: Despite being a lesser-known company, Onestream offers some highly competitive broadband deals. On this package, you can get average speeds of 45Mbps and unlimited downloads on an 18-month contract for u00a318.95 per month.
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Vodafone - Superfast Fibre Broadband: Average speeds of 38 Mbps, unlimited downloads, and zero setup costs for u00a320 a month on a 24-month contract.
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Now Broadband - Super Fibre: For u00a322 a month, you can get an average speed of 63 Mbps and unlimited downloads on a 12-month contract with u00a35 setup costs.
Bundle Offers
When scouting for broadband deals, you'll find deals that bundle other services like TV packages or home telephone with your broadband for a set monthly fee. Bundling your broadband, calls, and TV can save costs compared to sourcing these services separately. Additionally, you only have to deal with one supplier, which is an added convenience boost.
There are plenty of choices for broadband bundles. Here are some examples:
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Virgin Media Big Bundle: M100 broadband package (213Mbps average), more than 100 TV channels with the Virgin TV 360 box, and unlimited weekend calls. u00a333 per month.
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Sky Bundle: Sky TV (over 100 channels not on Freeview and over 500 Box Sets), 59Mbps broadband, unlimited Netflix, and Pay As You Talk (only pay for the calls you make). u00a342 per month.
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BT Entertainment Bundle: BT Fibre 2 broadband (59Mb u2013 73Mb download speed range), NOW Entertainment membership, Sky Atlantic, Netflix, and 600 hours of recording space on the TV box. u00a346.99.
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TalkTalk: Fibre 65 Broadband (67Mbps average download speed) with TV packages including Netflix, Now Entertainment, and Prime Video. From u00a325 per month.
Broadband Contracts and Extra Fees
Most broadband contracts are 12, 18, or 24 months. It's essential to check your contract before you sign because many allow for mid-contract price hikes.
Equally important are extra fees like:
- Setup costs/Installation fees.
- Exit fees for leaving your contract early.
- Disconnection fees (even when you're out of contract)
- Exceeding monthly download limit.
- Line rental.
Social Tariffs
The UK government is launching a new scheme to simplify access to cheaper broadband for struggling households. The new service calls on broadband providers to offer discounted broadband and mobile deals for people on Universal Credit and other benefits. Virgin Media O2 already supports the scheme, and many more providers will follow suit in the coming weeks and months. Tariffs range from u00a310 to u00a325 a month depending on several factors, including preferred bandwidth, provider, and eligibility. Consumers are encouraged to contact their providers to see what help is available.
Cheap broadband Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'unlimited broadband' truly unlimited?
Sometimes. Some providers offer truly unlimited broadband, while others provide a generous allowance they believe you're unlikely to exceed. However, if you do exceed this limit, you can be charged extra and your cheap broadband can suddenly be not so cheap.
Can you get cheaper broadband without switching?
Yes, you can negotiate with your provider for a better deal. Sometimes simply telling your provider that you plan to switch can encourage them to offer a better deal. It's always a good idea to do some research first and notify your provider of the better packages available to you from their competitors.
Will I always have to pay a cancellation fee if I'm under contract?
Yes, most likely, unless you're in your cooling-off period. You have a minimum 14-day cooling-off period after you sign-up for a service and can cancel for free during this time. However, you may still have to pay for any services you have used before cancelling.