Home and mobile broadband

Home and mobile broadband explained

Once upon time the majority of internet service providers existed solely to provide you with a broadband connection. However, as the UK broadband market has matured, we’ve seen companies diversify so that you can now get everything from your home phone, mobile phone, digital TV and home broadband from a single provider.

This trend has continued with the advent of mass take up of mobile broadband, which has, in turn, seen the launch of a host of home and mobile broadband packages.

What are home and mobile broadband packages?

As the name suggests, home and mobile broadband packages are intended to keep you online wherever you are - whether that’s in your house or in the most far-flung corner of the globe.

If you choose a home and mobile broadband package, you’ll get a fixed line broadband connection for use with your home computer and any other broadband compatible devices in your house.

And for when you’re on the move, you’ll also receive a mobile broadband dongle that harnesses signals from a mobile phone network to get you online with your laptop.

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What are the advantages of choosing a home and mobile broadband package?

Home and mobile broadband packages are often cheaper than taking the two services separately from different providers. Furthermore, as mobile broadband has become more popular, more and more internet service providers have unveiled home and mobile broadband packages. This has meant more competition in the market with the result that prices are continuing to fall.

Consumers who choose a home and mobile broadband package also benefit from a single bill. This makes keeping track of outgoings much simpler.

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What are the disadvantages of home and mobile broadband packages?

If you’re not likely to make much use of your mobile broadband but regard owing a dongle as something to fall back on in emergencies, it may be cheaper to opt for a pay as you mobile broadband dongle offer.

Which providers offer a home and mobile broadband package?

Because an ISP needs access to a mobile phone network for a mobile broadband service, not all internet service providers offer a home and mobile broadband package. However, those that do operate home and mobile broadband packages include BT, Orange, O2 and Virgin Media.

Home and mobile broadband from BT

BT currently offers BT Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3 customers the chance to add mobile broadband for a one-off charge of £49.99 and £9.99 respectively. This entitles them to 1MB of usage per month over the course of their 18-month contract.

Home and mobile broadband from O2

Consumers who take O2’s mobile broadband service as well as the home broadband Standard package save £2.45 per month off their monthly bill.

Home and mobile broadband from Orange

Orange’s home and mobile broadband deal combines its Home Starter and Internet Everywhere package for just £20 per month. That spells a total saving of £90 over the course of the 18-month contract.

Home and mobile broadband from Virgin Media

Virgin Media's home and mobile broadband packages' USP is that they're super-fast, allowing to access home speeds of up to 50Mb and a mobile speed of up to 7.2Mb. Furthermore, discounts of up to 20 per cent on your mobile broadband deal are on offer when you sign up for both services.

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