Cheap broadband explained

The above deals are the cheapest broadband packages in the UK conveniently ranked by price. With so many ISPs in the UK broadband market vying for your business there has never been a better time to get cheap broadband and save lots of money. Almost all of the ISPs offer a relatively inexpensive package, usually less than £10 per month, which is usually termed “standard”, “basic” or “starter”. As the names of these packages suggest, cheap broadband packages appeal widely to light or beginner broadband users whose internet use will be basic.

The good thing about cheap broadband in the UK (apart from the price) is that, those who are not sure what package to choose can start off with a basic package with the option to upgrade at a later date. Down-grading your package may be more difficult and costly.

Cheap broadband is particularly handy for:

• Light users, those who purely use the internet in the evenings and weekends for emailing and web browsing.
• Beginners young and old who are dipping their virtual toes in the web for the first time.
• Students, you can do the bones of your internet use in college so there's no need to pay too much for broadband at home.
• Modem owners if you already own a wireless modem you can save money. For example, UK Online will allow you to continue using your existing modem or router free of charge, even though they endorse the Netgear wireless router which is available at an additional cost.

**Award-winning value broadband (UK)

To see who won the value broadband award in our recent Top 10 Broadband Awards 2008 click here >> value broadband. While judging the cheapest broadband packages on the market, Top 10 Broadband took into account first year costs including set-up fees, hardware costs and excess charges to bring you the definative cheapest broadband winner.

Additional factors to consider when buying cheap broadband

While looking for the cheapest broadband, it is important to keep the following factors in mind. A cheap broadband deal is only a deal if it fits your needs.

• Speed
• Download allowance
• Contract length
• Additional features, free technical support, free hardware (router)
• Security suites such as McAfee protection
• Reduced price calls
• Bundle offers, save yourself money by combining your broadband, landline and digital TV. And with the digital television taking over from analogue in 2012, there’s no better time to go digital.

Note: there a re a number of extras that could make what looks like a cheap broadband package, an expensive broadband package. In order to make sure your cheap broadband deal is what it says on the tin, look out for the following extra costs.

• Introductory periods: how long does the headline price last and what is the price when this finishes?
• Excess usage costs: if you go beyond your monthly allocated allowance what price do you pay?
• Set-up charges: how much does it cost to set up your contract?
• Hardward costs: do you have to pay for a router if you don't have one?

For more information on broadband charges, see our guide >> broadband charges

The current economic climate in the UK means that we're all going to have to tighten our belts to stay in the black, hence finding the cheapest broadband packages on the market is at the top of most peoples lists. As other utility prices go through the roof, the price of broadband packages has gone down. Therefore, even if you bought the cheapest broadband package in the UK last year, the chances are that you would save a lot of money by switching to this year's cheapest broadband package.