My daughter will be sharing a flat with 3 others in Bristol which has cable and phone wiring to the flat but as they are only going to be there for 10 months they want the cheapest possible deal. We have been looking at the Virgin Media L package, which would mean they would pay for a whole year, but at £16 per month looks as though it would do everything and save them the cost of having a phone line connected.

One of the other girls has suggested Plusnet Option 2 as it is a monthly package, but I can't see from their website whether this includes line rental or not. The postcode is BS6 7PY. If the cable is already wired up, would they need someone to come and set it up or could they do a self-install and save an extra fee? They don't really need a landline as they all have mobiles and use Skype to call from their computers. Thanks in advance!

Most of the available options require a BT landline. Then there are plenty to choose from with 12 month and pay-as-you-go (1 month at a time) options if you got this just google around for the best deal. Otherwise you can ask the cable company what options, if any, they offer for broadband.

I've recently signed up with Vodafone for a 24 month contract for mobile braodband. I use it for 3 PC's in different locations and it's perfect for me. I just plug a "dongle" (about the size of a large cigarette lighter) into a USB port and away I go. It seems slightly slower than my previous landline broadband but the flexibility is great plus it gives me broadband at three addresses (and anywhere else that I want it) for less than I was paying for broadband at one address. The downside is that there's likely to be something better on offer before the 24 months is up and I was annoyed to find that I can send as many emails as I like but I must pay for text messages. It's £15 per month and the flexibility might suit your daughter's situation. The other mobile companies offer similar deals but Three have a bad reputation for coverage.

Thanks for the input but since all 4 of them require Broadband, it would be cheaper to go with a regular package. Despite Virgin Media L cable package showing as £16 per month on the comparison chart, it is actually £17 per month for the first 6 months then £24 pm thereafter but with no line rental it is still probably the cheapest option for 10 months out of the 12 paid for. The Telewest Broadband box is already installed in the flat, so hopefully she can go with the quickstart connection and save an installation fee of £30. Talk Talk's 18 month minimum takes them out of the equation and the others get more expensive once you add on the phone line rental.