Broadband, as widely predicted here and elsewhere, is now cheaper than dial up internet access, according to a new report.
Price comparison and service switching site, SimplySwitch.com, claims changing to broadband will be “almost certain” to save money when compared to the cost of continuing with 56k dial up access.
The company base their assertion on the fact that the average person in the UK now spends over two and a half hours online each day. In fact, they allege that just using the internet for a mere two hours a week would mean broadband was a cheaper than both pay per minute or unlimited access dial up.
Karen Darby, founder of SimplySwitch.com, comments: “The advantages of switching from dial-up to broadband are obvious. With an 8Mb connection, broadband is 143 times faster than dial-up. You can download far larger files, watch videos online, use a wireless connection and you’ll even save money as well. Anyone who ditches dial-up will see a vast improvement to their online experience.”
It is estimated, for instance, that NTL dial up customers could save almost £60 per year by switching to broadband from dial-up, while those with Tiscali and AOL could save £33 and £12 respectively per annum, according to SimplySwitch.com’s report. And that’s without factoring in the cost of potential lost business as customers who phone in are met with a seemingly constant engaged tone.
So if you are still clinging to your screechy modem and blocking your phone line, it will pay to check out the price of your ISP’s broadband access. You’re almost guaranteed it will be cheaper than sticking with either pay-as-you-go or unlimited access dial up packages.
For example, Tiscali’s dial up is currently £14.99 per month whereas their entry level broadband access package is £9.99 for the first three months and then £12.99 with free weekend landline calls thrown in.
AOL, meanwhile, prices dial up access at £15.99 per month, one pound per month more than their broadband access.
