uk residential fixed land line telephone and broadband services
by Colin Bryant, TelecomsAdvice
UK residential fixed land line telephone services
There are many providers but BT, Kingston Communications in Hull and Vigin Media (NTL:Telewest) are the main ones with local wires or cables - most of the others use BT Wholesale lines to provide an 'indirect' service where you have to predial a code or 'CPS' (Carrier Pre-Selection) 'direct' service. These alternative operators can be much cheaper for calls than the main operators and some will also provide line installation and rental at a discount - but it is still BT Wholesale which maintains it. Comparing costs can be difficult - minimum call or connection charges; 'capped' rates and varying rates for calls to mobiles and to 0845 and 0870 numbers; discounts for online billing and direct debit payment can make a big difference in the monthly bill.The safe but generally higher cost option is BT through their BT Shop . But currently we consider the best value deals are from first:telecom for straightforward cheap calls and line rental, or TalkTalk if you want a package including Broadband. The connection is by 'CPS' (Carrier Pre-Selection) so you don't have to dial anything extra but if you make calls to specific international destinations or international mobiles you may want to check-out niftylist.co.uk for cheaper dialling codes.
For cheap Directory Enquiries we currently recommend 118 226 @ 23.5p per call (max. two enquiries per call).
If you have Broadband you may want to explore internet telephony by 'voip', say using Skype or Vonage. Between subscribers internet calls are free but if you have to call a normal phone you will be hard pressed to get better prices than those from first:telecom and TalkTalk and the quality of calls over the Internet may be unreliable at congested times.
Residential Broadband Internet connectivity
PlusNet - good Internet Service Provider (ISP) with UK based support - basic broadband from £10 but the £15 offer is better value for any but the lightest users.TalkTalk - Broadband 'free' with a £20 per month telephone account where the local exchange has been 'unbundled' but £10 per month otherwise. Have had major difficulties with provisioning and customer service due to high demand for this offer but should improve as things settle down.
If you already have Sky or Virgin Media subscriptions then they may be best value for you.
Domain names, email and web space
Most ISPs only give you basic webspace, charge extra for domain name registration and not much choice or control over email. If you want these, go to 1&1 for good value domain names, hosting, website design wizards and configurable email with spam and virus protection.Reviewed June 2007
last updated : 15/06/2007
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