Broadband & Phone Packages vs. Single Services
Article by David Miller
As our world comes to rely more and more on telecommunications technology, most of us now subscribe to a number of different telecom services. With the availability of Freeview television and a proliferation of web sites where streaming video can be accessed, this list does not always include television services. Nevertheless most households in the UK find that the combination of broadband services and a domestic telephone line is difficult to live without.
If you are considering switching provider or if you have just moved house and are looking to get connected in the near future, you probably already know that the providers of telephone and broadband services are frequently one and the same. You are probably aware that many providers offer broadband & phone packages as an incentive to attract customers for both services.
In most cases, using the same provider for both services will save you money when compared with using different providers. This is partly because both telephone and internet are often connected through the same network of cables. As a result the additional cost of adding another service to an existing one is often negligible for a large telecommunications provider. Often the provider will pass a proportion of these savings on to the consumer in order to further cement the relationship between an individual provider and a consumer. This helps to keep their service competitive within the market and also helps to generate additional revenues for the business concerned.
Although in most circumstances using the same provider for both services will provide you with a saving, this is not always the case. Particularly if you are looking at ADSL internet rather than the fibre optic cable based alternative, you may find that you are able to find cheaper line rental and phone services by looking elsewhere than your broadband provider. You might also find that you can save on call charges by making calls through an override provider – although this sounds complicated, it is actually extremely easy.
One such override provider is 18185. By using 18185 to make phone calls, you can pay as little as 5p for an hour long call. Although certain phone line deals will provide you with a number of free phone calls in certain circumstances (for example those that are made during off peak times), these deals will often charge you more for your line rental than the cheapest available no-frills providers. You can find out more at the 18185 web site.
For most people however, the fact remains that a broadband and phone service package deal provides the easiest and often one of the cheapest possible routes to both of these borderline essential telecom services. As one final point of note, there is no definitive answer to this question and the cheapest and most effective option for you will depend on your usage patterns as a consumer of telecom services.
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If you are interested in exploring this topic further, there are a number of web sites online that can help you learn more. Broadband Choices is a leading provider of digital service comparison tools and related news services such as Broadband Choices Orange broadband reviews.
