Broadband Appeal: Choosing The Right Broadband Service

Whether you want to shop online, download music or films, or work from home, it is more than likely that you have at least considered getting broadband if, in fact, you haven't already done so.

But with so many broadband providers now in the market - BT, AOL, TalkTalk, Virgin, Tiscali and Sky, to name but a few - how can you be sure you're getting the best deal?

The first piece of advice must be to properly research the products and services on offer. Don't just look at cost alone. There's little point in having a super fast and cheap connection if you can't get it working and/or you have to stump up huge costs trying to get the helpline to fix things.

First, have a look at what provider is available in your area. Most postcodes have at least two or more providers, making some comparative research well worthwhile.

You may be able to save some costs by buying broadband through your existing telephone or TV provider. For example, you can get free broadband with TalkTalk, if you are signed up to its Talk3 international call plan, which gives unlimited calls to UK landlines and free or reduced calls to some other countries. Sky also offers good broadband deals to existing TV customers, with a free 2MB service and 2GB monthly usage cap; an 8MB service with a 40GB cap for £5 a month; and a 16MB unlimited service for just £10 a month.

It is important, however, to remember that installation fees (as much as £40 for Sky's cheapest deal) may bump up the costs and such offerings do not necessarily mean you are getting the right product or the best service levels that you require of your broadband connection.

In particular, have you taken some time to think about what you need from your broadband? If you wish to download music or films, you may not want usage capped to, say, 5GB a month. Okay, you might have to pay a little more for unlimited usage (£24.99/month for unlimited usage, compared to £17.99/month for capped usage with BT), but at least you're paying extra money for a service you actually want.

As for service levels, as more companies are competing for broadband customers, so are customer testimonial websites growing in popularity. Before making any decisions about your broadband, ensure you have a look at existing reviews. For example, Waitrose offers a 8MB service at £18.99 per month, with a 5GB download cap and 12-month (rather than a more restrictive but fairly common 18-month) contract. The modem and connection is free as are helpline calls (Orange, in contrast, charges a technical helpline cost of 50p per minute). Perhaps just as important, though, is the reputation Waitrose has built for customer service. Indeed, Which magazine readers recently gave Waitrose's broadband service 'best buy' status, a good indicator of a deal worthy of further investigation.

With such a wide selection of broadband deals available, and with the price of internet access falling at the same time as performance is improving, there has never been a better time to spend wisely on the best product, with proven reliability and service levels. Just don't squander the huge opportunities by rushing your decision. With your broadband choice, more haste could quite literally mean less speed.

Caroline Poynton is a financial journalist who writes for Beat That Quote about loans and other personal finance topics.