Broadband News

PlusNet has announced that broadband customers can sign up for its telephony package Home Phone for just £1.99 per month for a limited period.

Under the terms of the deal, broadband customers who take up the Home Phone offer pay just pay just £1.99 for the telephony add-on for the first three months. After this point, the Home Phone monthly rate rises to £9.78 per month for the remainder of the 12-month contract. For those choosing the company’s broadband Option 1 deal this brings the total monthly cost for broadband and telephony to £11.78 for the first three months and £19.53 per month thereafter.

The Home Phone add-on entitles customers to inclusive line rental, free evening and weekend calls to all UK landlines with 01,02 and 03 numbers after 6pm as well as free calls to other PlusNet customers.

Option 1 of PlusNet’s broadband service, meanwhile, includes 2GB monthly usage allowance, a free wireless router, a broadband firewall and virus protection as well as inclusive VOIP calls. The company also promises download speeds of up to 8Mb and free overnight usage between 12pm and 8am. The £1.99 Home Phone deal also applies to Options 2 and 3 and the Pro package.

The £1.99 Home Phone option is ongoing but after December 10th the free wireless router will be substituted for a wired router for Option 1 customers. Those choosing other PlusNet broadband deals will continue to get a wireless router.

Jessica McArdle, web editor at Top 10 Broadband, has welcomed the deal and said it was likely to prove a useful carat for customers as the ISP attempts to secure a larger share of the UK market. PlusNet currently holds around 200,000 customers,

PlusNet’s move follows its recent announcement that it is cutting the cost of its broadband deals in line with Alistair Darling’s announcement of a 2.5 per cent cut to VAT. The move, which will reduce costs for both existing and new customers, represents something of a PR coup in the face of soaring household bills that have left many consumers struggling financially.

A statement from PlusNet, said that the move would mean that “all customers will benefit from the change to VAT”.

PlusNet has been much praised for its standards of customer service. It has also established a strong support base for its innovative Broadband Your Way Pro package, which was designed specifically with the burgeoning online gaming market in mind.

The company was recently named the No 1 Small ISP by Top 10 Broadband and has also secured second place in the ‘Best overall ISP’ section of this years PC Advisor Reader Awards.