Guide to Broadband, Phone, TV and Mobile Bundles - Part 2 of 4

There are now many different types of broadband bundles in the market, but the most common remains the merging of broadband and home phone services. It’s a natural match because ADSL broadband services use the remaining bandwidth on a phone line. So could you save money by combining both deals from the same provider?

Broadband and home phone bundles explained

The concept of broadband and home bundles hit its peak in 2006 when TalkTalk launched its ‘free broadband’ offer. Basically this meant taking out a TalkTalk calling package and receiving a broadband internet service from the company for ‘free’.

The catch with the deal was that you couldn’t actually order broadband on its own from the provider. Therefore cynics would argue that you were paying for the price of broadband within the price of the phone service.

Nevertheless this was an attention grabbing deal that became massively popular – so much so that it actually caused problems for the provider because it couldn’t meet the demand quickly enough.

There are a host of broadband and phone deals available across the UK. Many of them offer enticing freebies such as free weekend calls, free anytime calls or free off-peak calls. There are broadband-related incentives too, such as free wireless routers, free modems and free line rental.

The key for most users will be the price of the combined service. Is it cheaper to get your broadband and home service from the same provider than it is to have two separate services from different providers?

However, there are some other key questions you should ask yourself before opting for a broadband/phone bundle:

• What are the download speeds and download limits? Are they sufficient for your usage or do you need a broadband only deal that offers faster speeds or a larger download cap?
• What is the cost of the combined service and would you be better off buying broadband and phone separately? Remember to take into account the total cost at the end of the contract – many providers offer introductory rates which can make their prices seem cheaper than they really are.
• Is line rental included in the price? If not, how much will it cost you?
• If you are offered a freebie as part of the deal, think about if you really needed the freebie? If you needed a wireless router and it was offered free as part of the package, this could be a huge money saver. However, if you already have a perfectly adequate router, then the free offer shouldn’t influence your decision.
• Do you get free evening or weekend calls? Think about when you use the phone as to whether free minutes at off-peak hours are any use to you. What are the rates like for daytime calls?
• How happy are you with your current service? If you’re happy, you may not want to move at all as the new provider may offer a poorer service.

Once you’ve answered all these questions you should be in a position to evaluate whether a broadband and phone bundle is right for you. To compare the prices on broadband and home phone bundles, check out our broadband comparison tool.