Ofcom says Brits get a good deal on broadband

UK consumers are getting a good deal on their broadband and other communications services, according to a new report from Ofcom.

The national telecoms industry regulator examined the price of a typical basket of a broadband line, a home phone, a pay TV subscription and a mobile phone package for five household types across Britain and five international markets - France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US.

When each of these services was purchased individually, the UK offered the lowest prices of any of the nations included in the study, while it was also cheapest for four of the five baskets when bundled deals were considered.

Home phone charges were less expensive in Britain than in all the other countries, despite recent hikes from major players such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.

BT raised prices for its landline tariffs by five per cent at the start of December, representing the third time the telecoms giant has increased its rates in the past 14 months.

The researchers went on to investigate the typical price of a 'family basket' of communications and entertainment services - namely a fixed-line phone with high usage, four mobile phones with varying levels of activity, a basic pay TV subscription and a broadband connection.

At a combined total of £114, costs in the UK were the second-cheapest of all the nations, behind only France, which undercut the other countries significantly with an overall charge of £79.

However, while Britain generally fared well in the study, it was discovered that prices for the family basket have risen by ten per cent in the last year - a statistic Ofcom attributed to increasing charges for low-use mobile phone services.

"Our research shows that the UK communications market is performing well, with prices, the range of services and innovation standing up well against international benchmarks," said the regulator's chief executive Ed Richards.