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There is nothing quite as exhilarating as getting something for nothing. Of course, while getting something for nothing is great, sometimes you truly get what you pay for. When considering broadband, getting service for free usually comes with a price that makes one ask, “How much is too little?” Broadband providers are finding that broadband service is quickly saturating a once lucrative market. Today, people demand better from their broadband service. Why? With all of the options, prices, and extras available through a broadband provider, consumers can afford to be picky until the best broadband provider for their needs is found. Such saturation in the market has led many broadband providers to offer a free service for customers. Often, this free broadband is coupled with the option of purchasing additional services, products, and time for a fee from the provider, or even the ability to upgrade at a later date. Deciding which is better – paid broadband or free broadband – is all a matter of looking at the technical aspects of both types of broadband. Before deciding it is time to jump into a contract for free broadband, there are a few things the consumer should consider. Sky Broadband is one of the leaders in the industry offering free broadband to consumers. Additionally, Sky Broadband has three other service options ranging from £5 to £17. However, let’s take a look at what the consumer actually pays, and how much the consumer actually receives from each service option. Sky Broadband Base service offers a download speed of up to 2Mb and has a monthly usage cap of 2GB. The activation fee is £40 and the home install option is £50. When you sign a contract with Sky Broadband the contract is a minimum of 12 consecutive months, and going over the allowed cap will automatically upgrade your account to the next level. However, this service package does not include a monthly price. The other service packages offered by Sky Broadband include Mid, Max, and Connect. Mid Sky Broadband offers a download speed of up to 8Mb and has a monthly usage cap of 40GB. The activation fee is £20, and the home install option is £50. This upgrade to the free service package offered by Sky Broadband has a monthly price of £5. Sky Broadband Max is the next option. The Max Sky Broadband offers a download speed of up to 16Mb and does not have a monthly usage cap. The activation fee and home install option fee are both waived with a monthly price of £10. Finally, Connect Sky Broadband offers a download speed of up to 8Mb with a monthly usage cap of 40GB. Additionally, the activation fee is £40 and the home install option fee is £50. Orange is another popular free broadband provider. Orange Broadband Starter package includes up a download speed of up to 2Mb and a monthly usage cap of 2GB. Again, there is a 12 month contract requirement Connection is via a USB connection with a provided router. Looking for free Orange Broadband? The monthly service fee for this package is £14.99 unless the Orange Broadband user is also holds a mobile contract with Orange. When including Orange Broadband to an Orange mobile contract, the Orange Broadband monthly fee is waived. Comparing the viability of the free broadband service offered by many broadband providers requires an investigative look at broadband providers not offering free service. BT Total Broadband is one service package offered by BT having low cost, great options, and offers a good example at the difference between free and paid broadband service. BT offers a monthly usage cap of 5GB as well as offering 250 WiFi minutes per month. The router is free with both a 12- and 18-month contract. The monthly cost varies with the term of the contract for the BT Total Broadband consumer. If the consumer agrees to an 18-month contract, the first 6-months are only £9.95 and the remaining 12-months are £17.99. If the consumer agrees to a 12-month contract, the first 3-months are £12.99 and the remaining 9-months are £17.99. Simply by looking at the above examples of the free service offered by Orange and Sky, and the comparing with the paid service of BT, a potential broadband customer may ponder why free isn’t better. However, there is more than the price of the broadband service to consider. For example, many of the free broadband providers only offer technical or customer support for a predetermined fee, and the latency and/or reliability of the free broadband connections may be questioned. Is receiving a broadband service worth the cost and time? If you need a mobile contract or have a mobile contract with a provider offering free broadband, then yes, you may find receiving free broadband is worth the time and effort. However, if your mobile service provider does not offer free broadband, paying for your broadband connection is well worth the money. Additionally, purchasing service through a broadband provider will allow you free technical and customer support, reliable connectivity, and a better latency when compared with the free broadband providers.
Staff editor, Broadband Section, February 2007 |
