Bag a Super-fast Broadband Deal on the Cheap

Super-fast broadband used to be prohibitively expensive, but not anymore. Broadband prices have tumbled and this January you can get up to 20 Mbps super-fast broadband for as little as £6.50 per month.

So how best to bag the very best super-fast broadband deal?

Super-fast broadband is available via Virgin Media’s fibre-optic broadband network, or via standard DSL broadband offered by all the other key UK broadband providers. DSL broadband uses BT’s copper wire, and cannot match the broadband speeds offered by Virgin Media, but can still deliver super-fast broadband for those who live close to their local telephone exchange.

So the first thing to do, is a full broadband availability check for your postcode, to find out whether you are in a Virgin Media fibre optic broadband area, and to check how far you live from your local telephone exchange.

If you live less than 1 km from your local phone exchange, you should be able to receive DSL super-fast broadband with speeds of over 20 Mbps. However if you live about 2 km away from your exchange you are unlikely ever to receive broadband speeds above 16 Mbps, (which is not super-fast). DSL Broadband speeds then deteriorate very rapidly with increased distance, so that if you live over 4 km from the exchange, you are unlikely to receive much more than 2 Mbps.

There are impartial experts like Simplifydigital who can undertake a full broadband availability check for you. They are available free on 0800 1 388 388. Or you can try online at http://comparebroadband.uk.msn.com/

If you are one of the lucky households able to receive super-fast broadband (either via fibre-optic or DSL broadband), you then have some great deals to choose from this month. So the next step is to find the best deal for you and again the experts can be a big help to compare the best super-fast broadband deals for you. http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/bundle-and-save/

The top super-fast broadband deals in January

The overall top deal on our list is for existing Orange mobile phone customers.

Orange Home Max just £6.50 per month (for existing Orange mobile customers only)

This broadband service is delivered via DSL so check your distance from the telephone exchange before buying. It offers:

• Up to 20 Mbps super-fast broadband
• Unlimited downloads
• An Orange wireless router
• Free evening and weekend home phone calls

All for just £6.50 per month for existing (eligible) Orange mobile phone customers. Line rental is an additional £10.50 per month. Orange Home Max costs £9.50 for non Orange customers.

The next is a cracking deal from TalkTalk, giving super fast broadband (for those lucky enough to live close to their telephone exchange), for just £6.99 per month. It is available for a limited time only.

TalkTalk Phone and Broadband Essentials just £6.99 with FREE "Speed Boost"

• Speed Boost which increases speed to fastest available on your line. This could be as high as 20-24 Mb/sec
• 40GB download limit
• Unlimited evening and weekend calls to UK landlines
• Free wireless router

Cost: £6.99 a month, plus £11.49 line rental payable to TalkTalk.

Sky Broadband Unlimited – just £10 with 6 months free (existing Sky TV customers only)

• Super-fast broadband (up to 20 Mbps)
• Unlimited downloads.
• Sky wireless router
• Free evening and weekend calls

Cost: Free for six months and £10 per month thereafter, plus £11 line rental. This great broadband deal is only available if you also take a Sky Talk home phone package. Sky Talk offers free evening and weekend calls at no extra cost.

O2 Home Broadband Premium just £10 per month (for existing O2 mobile phone customers)

The next deal on our list is from the award-winning O2 broadband, which prides itself on very good customer service, with UK based technical support for free. This O2 broadband service is delivered via DSL and is limited to those homes living in close proximity to an enabled telephone exchange.

• Up to 20 Mbps download speed (subject to location)
• Unlimited downloads (with fair usage policy)
• Prioritised Customer Service
• McAfee security software for up to five computers
• 500 free web texts per month

All for just £10 per month plus £11.54 line rental for existing O2 mobile customers (£15 per month for new O2 customers).

And lastly we recommend two great deals from Virgin Media. Being fibre-optic broadband, neither are dependent on your distance from the telephone exchange, though you will still not receive the advertised "up to" broadband speed due to contention (other people in your area using the broadband service at the same time as you).

Virgin Media (XL) Broadband and (M) home phone - two months FREE

• Up to 20 Mbps fibre-optic broadband with unlimited downloads (a fair usage policy applies)
• A free wireless router
• Free PCguard internet security
• Free weekend calls
• Virgin Media line rental

Fibre optic broadband is more expensive than DSL broadband. This super-fast package from Virgin Media comes with 2 months FREE in January and costs £20 per month thereafter (plus £11 per month line rental).

And finally for those who want the best available "ultra-fast broadband", the price has also tumbled in recent months.

The "Rolls-Royce" of ultra-fast broadband services in the UK is Virgin Media’s (XXL) broadband package. It offers the fastest broadband speeds widely available in the UK, at 50 Mbps. Seeing is believing with this broadband package - web surfing is just a completely different experience and of course it is excellent for gamers and households with multiple users. http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/broadband/

Virgin Media (XXL) Broadband and Virgin Phone (M) – two months FREE

• Up to 50 Mb/sec broadband with unlimited downloads (a fair usage policy applies)
• A free wireless router
• Free PCguard internet security
• Free weekend calls
• Virgin Media line rental

This ultimate, ultra-fast package from Virgin Media also comes with 2 months FREE in January and costs £28 per month thereafter (plus £11 per month line rental).