Choosing Your Broadband Operator: Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid

Choosing Your Broadband Operator: Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid

To be able to choose an Internet service provider and a subscription that best suits your needs and budget, you must not only compare the Internet offers but also follow expert advice!

Given the complexity of internet offers available on the market, it can be difficult to choose the best broadband subscription. Like all consumer products, it is important to look and compare before buying an offer. Indeed, most ADSL access providers today only tell you about their most attractive offers.

Marketing required, full pricing details are rarely put forward. Looking a little further, we realize that there are sometimes a lot of hidden costs…

If you are new to, or if you have trouble deciding, this article is for you. It will show you what to look for in choosing broadband providers with offers best suited to your needs.

• The Speed

One of the first things to do is to test the speed you will have at different operators. It basically depends on two things. As we have seen, it can be limited if an operator does not offer an unbundled offer on this zone. Generally, in this case the bit rate is always less than 8 Mbps (however, some operators go well beyond).

Another factor that strongly impacts maximum throughput is the distance that separates your home from the central office on which it depends. The further you are from it, the less the speed. As a result, you can end up with a line that only supports 512 Kbps, while the operator announces “up to 20 Mbps”.

Indeed, the debits that are given in various advertisements are in fact of little interest. It is impossible to reach the 25 Mbps or 28 Mbps put forward by the different Internet access providers, unless you live in front of the telephone exchange, and even in this case it is not guaranteed!

• The Price

The second thing to check is of course the cost of the subscription. As for the debit, the advertised prices do not always reflect reality. You may have the unpleasant surprise that the final price that will be announced after testing your ADSL line does not exactly match what you saw or read on the commercials.

Here are some other things to check about your subscription:

Look carefully at the included services. Can you benefit from television, unlimited calls to mobiles? At the advertised price is the telephone line included in the offer? Does it include the box set, the recorder decoder, the CPL kit?

Check to ensure that it is not a promotional offer limited to a few months as in the case of offers like £19 per month for 3 months.

Know the activation and/or cancellation fees. These costs, when they exist, are always clearly stipulated in the general conditions of sale. However, it is clear that ISPs do not communicate on these charges! Also pay attention to some advertisements that announce offers “without commitment and without activation fees” but do not specify that there is a cancellation fee…

In short, do not stop at the simple cost of the monthly subscription. Many other fees may be charged according to your needs.

As we have seen, operators are mainly communicating their offers at lower prices, but if you want more than just a triple play offer expect to see the final bill grow.

This applies to TV packages as well as to the price of calls to certain international destinations which may not be included in the list of countries to which calls are unlimited.

Last advice, stay on the lookout for promotions and flash sales, they are sometimes very interesting.

Hope these tips have helped if you’re currently choosing your broadband operator!

Article submitted by M. Rafiq.