Broadband charges

Interested in switching provider or setting up a new broadband connection? Many people are put off switching ISPs as they area worrried about the associated costs they may potentially incur, despite the fact that many UK homes and businesses are paying too much for their broadband packages.

This simple guide should help you understand the charges you are likely to incur in addition to the monthly charges quoted on this site. These charges vary widely from ISP to ISP so it is always worth taking a close look at the terms and conditions of the package before signing up.

Types of broadband

ADSL Broadband charges:

Landline charges - it is important to note that there must be an active telephone connection at the home or business looking to access broadband, as all ADSL broadband packages are accessed via a home telephone line. If there is no active landline at the residence or business, you will be liable to pay a set-up charge of £124.99 and monthly line rental thereafter (starting at £10.50 from BT).
Wireless routers - you must have a wireless router, in order to set up a wireless connection in your home or office. Some will charge up to £60, though many ISPs offer free wireless routers with their broadband packages.
Compare ADSL broadband here.

Cable Broadband charges:

No landline charges! As cable broadband is transmitted over fibre optic cables and not traditional copper phone wires, there is no explicit need for an active phone line at the premisis in which cable broadband is to be installed.
Installation charges - charges to install cable broadband start at £30 from Virgin Media.
Compare cable broadband deals here.

Mobile Broadband charges:

Mobile USB dongles - ISPs may charge a once-off charge for the mobile modem/dongle on low-spend and pay as you go accounts, though the trend is for ISPs to offer mobile modems/USB dongles free with consumer mobile broadband packages.

The key charges associated with mobile broadband, are overseas charges and excess usage charges, these are detailed below.

Overseas charges - depending on your ISP, you will be charged a certain rate to use mobile broadband when you are outside the UK.

3 mobile broadband overseas charges

EU: £3 per Mb
Rest of world: £6 per Mb

Note: you can use 3 mobile broadband in countries including Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy and Sweden. To do this you pay just 10p per Mb you use within your monthly allowance and £2 per Mb you use more than your inclusive allowance.

Vodafone mobile broadband overseas charges

EU: £9.99 per 50Mb
Rest of world: £4.99 per Mb

T-Mobile mobile broadband overseas charges

EU: £1.50 per Mb
Rest of world: £7.50 per Mb

Orange mobile broadband overseas charges

EU: £4.11 per Mb
Rest of world: £6.46 per Mb

Excess usage charges

3 mobile broadband excess charges

10p per Mb
£102 per Gb

Vodafone mobile broadband excess charges

£15 per Gb

T-Mobile mobile broadband excess charges

£0 per Mb. T-Mobile is the only mobile broadband provider that does not charge excess fees to users who exceed their limit. In serious cases, where customers are using excessive amounts of data over a series of months, they are notified by post and told to bring their usage to a more reasonable level.

Orange mobile broadband excess charges

0.0146p per Mb
£15 per Gb

Compare mobile broadband deals here.