What to Look Out For

What to Look Out For
Essential Information
Buying broadband for the first time or switching to a new
service can be a little confusing. There are lots of companies
offering different speeds and deals which makes it hard to
get straightforward advice. Look out for these four things
before you sign up.
Speed
Broadband comes in different speeds, which is measured
in megabits per second (or Mb for short). Services of 2 Mb
are common but in certain areas or with cable services, you
can get 8 Mb or more. But how fast do you really need to
go? For occasional use, a speed of 1 Mb or 2 Mb is the most
you’re likely to need. If you want to download lots of music
and photos, or watch online videos, 2 Mb or higher would
be preferable. Even faster services don’t actually make using
the Internet any quicker, they are of most benefit if you will
be downloading lots of music and files from the Internet.
Fig. 4 shows you how quick each service is.
How long does it
take to download a…
Normal
dial-up
1Mb
Broadband
2Mb
Broadband
8Mb
Broadband
Standard web page. 15 secs ¾ sec ½ sec ½ sec
1MB digital photo
from your e-mail.
3 mins 8 secs 4 secs 1 sec
3MB music track
from a website.
9 mins 30 secs 15 secs 4 secs
600MB movie 30 hours 100 mins 50 mins 12 mins EXPERT TIP
Megabit (Mb) refers to the speed at which information
fl ows from the Internet down your phone or cable line
into your computer. Don’t get megabit confused with
megabyte (or MB for short). A megabyte refers to the
size of a fi le not the speed. For example a digital photo
might be 1 MB in size and a typical music track could be
3 MB. Gigabyte (or GB) is a very large fi le size and is
equivalent to 1,000 MB. Usage Restrictions
There are three further types of broadband package you
can buy: unlimited, restricted or Pay As You Go. Unlimited
lets you surf the web and download as much as you want
but it costs more per month to buy. Restricted services put
a cap on what you download, measured in gigabytes or by
the number of hours you’re online.
Restricted services offer great value. The caps put on
them are enough for most people and if you go over
your limit you won’t get cut off; you just have to pay a
supplement to use more. With a basic 1GB restriction you can enjoy 76 hours a month of Internet surfing, download
240 music singles, listen to 36 hours of web radio or a
mixture of all three.
Alternatively, there are a small but growing number
of Pay As You Go services. You just pay for how much
you use every month. This is cost effective for occasional
Internet users.
Free Equipment
To tempt you into buying broadband, many providers offer
free equipment when you sign up, such as a modem or
free connection. You should check that technical telephone
support is free, as many charge premium rates for any help
you may need. A thirty-minute call to solve a problem
could cost you the equivalent of three or more months’
subscription.
Minimum Contracts
Look at the length of the minimum contract – some
providers make you stay with them for 12 months, which
is fine if you’re happy with them but can be problematic
if you have any difficulties with their service. Ask if they
upgrade existing customers for free when faster and
cheaper services become available.