Cable, Broadband, TV & Phone Blog

Wednesday, September 1st 2010

BT's broadband propositions are hugely popular, with 15 million of us now signed up to get our web access via its high-speed network.

Now that the telecoms giant has achieved this significant milestone - which means it has managed to attract an average of 5,000 customers every day for the past eight years - we thought it would be the perfect time to cast an expert eye over some of the best value broadband offers BT currently has available.

Although you'll need to be signed up to a home phone with BT too, it's possible to get the company's Broadband Option 1 package for just £15.99 per month on a one-year agreement, with no upfront connection fee.

Monday, August 30th 2010

BT Vision, Sky and Virgin Media have all made recent announcements regarding their TV-on-demand services - an area which is set to become a major battleground over the coming months.

Towards the end of last month, the beta launch of Virgin Media Player was announced - if you're one of the provider's XL TV and broadband subscribers, you can already sample some of the hundreds of hours of programming that are available.

Meanwhile, Sky unveiled an exclusive tie-up with US broadcasting giant HBO, which gives it the right to add classic series such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under to its on-demand platforms.

Friday, August 27th 2010

If you're looking to switch your home broadband provider, or if you've simply never taken out one of these deals on the grounds of cost, then now is the time for you to take action.

The latest study from Analysys Mason showed that prices are dropping across Europe and the US, with the average bundle of fixed-line broadband, home phone and digital TV services now costing just €40.70 (£33.36) a month.

Not only are prices coming down, but we can assure you that the amount you can get for your money is on the rise - if you're prepared to pay around £30 per month, you'll get plenty of bang for your buck.

One of the best current offers is the Virgin Media Triple for £23.

Wednesday, August 25th 2010

BT's announcement that it has slashed the amount it charges new customers to connect a landline at their properties means now is a great time to take advantage of one of its great value home phone packages.

If you're only taking out a telephone deal with BT, then you'll have to pay an upfront fee of £29.99 - a massive saving on the £127.99 that the company previously charged.

This is definitely good news, because BT offers some excellent cut-price home phone deals that give you the opportunity to chatter away to your heart's content.

For instance, the telecoms giant's minimum package - BT Unlimited Weekend Calls - costs just £11.54 per month.

Monday, August 23rd 2010

Ofcom's latest figures have shown that 71 per cent of households in the UK have broadband. While that's a fairly healthy figure, it still means more than a quarter of people are unable to browse the web at high speeds.

We know there are still plenty of parts of the country where it's impossible to get a connection. However, some of the 29 per cent without broadband will be able to access it, but are being put off by factors such as perceived high costs.

Anyone in this situation should be assured that there has never been a better time to sign up for a cheap broadband deal.

Friday, August 20th 2010

Brits are increasingly waking up to the great savings that can be achieved by taking out bundles of home phone, broadband and digital TV.

We've been promoting the benefits of bundles from the likes of Virgin Media, Sky and BT for ages, and Ofcom's figures suggest our campaign is paying off, with half of all homes in the UK now getting two or more communications services from the same provider.

It's certainly not hard to see why these packages have become so popular, given the range of great value offers out there from some of the above companies.

Wednesday, August 18th 2010

Media pundits and analysts have been pretty harsh on BT for the amount of customers it has managed to attract to its newly-launched sports packages.

Experts have estimated that around 60,000 people are currently subscribed to one of the Sky Sports offers on BT Vision, arguing that this is a disappointing return considering the amount of money the telecoms giant has spent on advertising.

Whether or not BT will be secretly unhappy with the figures, as far as we're concerned the company has still managed to put together some great value offers for avid sports fans.

For just £41.

Monday, August 16th 2010

It's not often that we get to hear about consumers in the UK getting great value for money.

Train fares, petrol prices and the cost of a pint seem to be increasing all the time, so it was reassuring to learn last week that at least our mobile broadband is competitive.

ABI Research rates Britain as offering some of the cheapest mobile broadband deals in the world, alongside Indonesia and France, and it's easy to see why when you look at some of the packages that are currently available.

For instance, you can get your hands on mobile broadband from Orange for as little as £10 per month, giving you download speeds of up to 3.6Mb/s and a monthly allowance of 1.5GB.

Friday, August 13th 2010

It may have come to your attention that Premier League football returns to our screens this weekend.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've reported a number of analysts' opinions on whether Sky, Virgin Media or BT Vision is offering the best digital TV packages to cover all your essential sports viewing needs and now it's time to have our say.

Without wishing to sit on the fence, it's fair to argue that each of these bundle providers has put together some fantastic value offers - and if it's a bargain basement price that you're after, then BT Vision has the edge.

The company's Sky Sports Pack comes with both Sky Sports 1 and 2 for a price of £29.

Wednesday, August 11th 2010

As regular readers will know, we've been pretty excited of late about the ever-expanding high-definition (HD) TV line-up at Sky.

In just the past month, the digital TV provider has agreed a host of exclusive deals with the likes of UKTV and HBO, so Sky subscribers can expect to see programmes like Entourage, The Sopranos and Man vs Food in glorious HD in the near future.

If you're with Sky then all these new subscription TV channels are great news, but you won't be getting the full benefits of the HD experience unless you're signed up to Sky Sports.

Tuesday, August 10th 2010

Fibre optic cable broadband is becoming increasingly prevalent across the country, thanks to the hard work of BT and Virgin Media.

More and more parts of the UK are getting access to these high-speed broadband connections every day, with BT claiming that as much as 66 per cent of the population could be hooked up by 2015.

Unlike normal broadband networks, which rely on copper telephone cables to send data, fibre optic broadband makes use of thin strands of glass that can transfer information at super-fast speeds.

If you're one of the lucky people who can get access to fibre optic broadband, it makes sense for you to take advantage of it - particularly given that it doesn't have to be an expensive luxury.

Monday, August 9th 2010

High-definition (HD) TV has been all over the news in recent weeks, with both Sky and Virgin Media announcing a raft of new channels to bolster their existing line-ups.

Comedy Central HD will be coming to Virgin Media this September, while Sky is adding HD versions of Sky Sports News, plus ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4.

While we know that these changes are unlikely to make you suddenly rush out to sign up for HD if you don't have it at the moment, these new digital TV channels are certainly a sign that HD is here to stay and that it's only going to continue growing in the future.

Friday, August 6th 2010

Now that Be Broadband has promised to shake up the home phone market with a series of offers designed to undercut BT, we thought we'd have a look at the best landline packages that are currently available.

For some, a landline is just a way to get access to broadband. But if you're one of the people who takes advantage of the free calls offered by your home phone, then it's important to make sure you're on the most cost-effective deal possible.

Even if you don't get much use from it, you might still find you can save some money on your basic line rental.

Thursday, August 5th 2010

Sky's latest financial results have shown that more people than ever are now taking advantage of the great savings that can be achieved with one of its broadband, TV and home phone packages.

An impressive one in five Sky customers now signs up to a bundle deal comprising each of these three services. With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look at some of the great offers you can get when you take out your digital TV, internet and landline with the same provider.

If you're considering a move into the world of high-definition (HD) TV viewing and you're keen to save as much money as possible, it's hard to find anything to fault with the Sky+HD Starter.

Wednesday, August 4th 2010

Now that Virgin Media has been officially recognised by Ofcom as the fastest high-speed broadband provider in the country, it seems like an appropriate time to cast our expert eye over some of the company's best offers.

In their latest round of broadband download tests, the team over at the regulator found that Virgin Media's up to 10Mb/s package is around twice as fast as rival DSL offerings with the same headline speed.

If you're convinced that you just want fibre optic cable broadband, you can sign up for this deal as a standalone product for a standard price of £20 per month, with a one-off installation fee of £35.