O2 Broadband

Take advantage of fantastic home and mobile broadband deals for new and existing O2 customers. Get super-fast speeds of up to 20Mb from just £7.34 a month.

Home broadband sale! 3 months free on Premium and Pro home broadband packages

In this section

• O2 online shop
• O2 packages
• O2 awards
• O2 features
• O2 news

Services

Services

• Mobile broadband
• Support
• Mac compatible
• Pay as you go
• ADSL broadband
• Email
• Fair usage policy
• Free connection
• Free wireless router
• Home broadband
• Security package
• Static IP address
• Trial period

Company history

Company history

O2, or Telefonica O2 Europe, was established in 2006 when British company O2 merged with the Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica. But the company’s history spans much further back than this. O2 was originally known as BT Wireless and then later as BT Cellnet, this was BT’s first ever mobile network provision service.

However, after a de-merger in 2001, the company gained independence from BT and re-branded as O2. For five years the company maintained this independent status but the recent acquisition by Telefónica has forged links between other European telecommunications companies, particularly in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Today O2 has considerable shares in smaller network providers such as Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk. O2’s latest venture is a further expansion of the company’s horizons; using its telecommunications experience O2 have now developed a brand new home broadband service. By taking over the British-based ISP Be, O2’s super-speedy connection is set to take the broadband world by storm.

Customer service

Customer service

O2 has the best of both worlds when it comes to customer service; not only do they have a very informative Help section on their website but they also have a UK-based call centre which is open around the clock, 7 days a week.

The website has a section specifically with broadband in mind so you don’t have to wade through lots of irrelevant information about mobile phone contracts. As well as the handy subsections, which range from ‘Security’ to ‘Gaming’, there’s an ‘O2 Broadband Assistant’ which helps you search for the exact information you’re looking for.

Plus, the website also has a page specifically for customers wishing to switch their existing broadband contract to O2. There’s plenty of information and a list of contact numbers for other ISPs so you can get in touch easily and disconnect from your existing provider.

Equipment

Equipment

O2 have their own specific hardware which comes as standards with whichever contract you chose. This means you won’t have to fork out for a modem or router when you sign up, which reduces your initial setup costs.

In addition to this, the O2 Wireless Box will allow you to connect to the internet wire-free. It sends out a signal which is picked up by your computer or consol so you can access the internet from anywhere in your home. It’s even powerful enough to be used in the garden.

If your computer does not have wireless capability O2 are also happy to provide you with a wired, or Ethernet, version which plugs directly into the back of your computer.

Software features

Software features

One of the benefits of signing up to a broadband connection with 02 is that you will receive highly-reputed McAfee security software absolutely free. The comprehensive software includes anti-virus and anti-spyware technology as well as firewall, anti-spam and parental control settings.

Installation is easy, all you have to do is put the CD into your drive and follow the on-screen instructions. Plus, the software can be installed on up to three computers in your household so you can rest safe in the knowledge that everyone is protected.

Email features

Email features

O2 are generous with the number of e-mail addresses that you are supplied with when you sign up. They allow you to have 10 accounts per household which ensures individual privacy; it’s also perfect if you run a business from home. The main e-mail account will benefit from an inbox allowance of 1GB and the other accounts have an ample 200Mb allowance.

With the free anti-spam software you can concentrate on enjoying keeping in touch with friends and family. There’s also the unique bonus of being able to send e-mails to your O2 mobile phone (up to 1000 per month) which you receive as you would a text message.

Extras

Extras

There are a whole host of extras with an O2 broadband contract, in particular the significant cost reductions for existing O2 customers. If you are an O2 "Pay as You Go" or "Pay Monthly" customer you save £5 a month on each of the broadband packages.

Even if you’re not an O2 mobile customer there are plenty of additional features to keep you happy. For example, you can send up to 100 web texts to any mobile every month, completely free of charge. So there’s no excuse not to keep up to date with friends and family.

And O2 are so confident that you’ll be happy with your new broadband connection that they offer a 100 day money back guarantee.

O2 news

• O2 launches new home broadband offering
  19th December 2008
  O2 has launched its newest broadband offering before Christmas, tempting customers with a 20Mb...
• Special report: New broadband bundles unveiled by O2
  19th December 2008
  New broadband packages have been unveiled by O2 as it reacts to demand for faster connection...
• O2 Business Broadband is dropped
  18th December 2008
  O2 has decided to scrap its Business Broadband offer, to be replaced with a package called...
• O2 slashes mobile broadband costs with new deal
  5th December 2008
  A new market-leading mobile broadband pay as you go deal from O2 has been unveiled, with a view...
• O2 in pay-as-you-go offering
  2nd December 2008
  O2 has spruced up its mobile broadband offerings with the launch of a pay-as-you-go...
• O2 flags up misleading mobile broadband
  31st October 2008
  One in ten mobile broadband customers feel misled, according to a study carried out by...

Customer reviews

• This is the fastest ADSL service I've ever had - BT say I can get 500k max on my line, so I switched to O2 and I now get 2.5 meg and sometimes over that.

  chris, 24th November 2008

• Great service! ordered last week was up and running with in 5 days including the weekend, fastest broadband I've ever had, faster than virgin media's standard cable

  Dave, 22th October 2008

• Best Internet I had so far in the UK. My previous ISP couldn't give me 8meg download and 1meg upload. O2 does!!! And all this for £7.50 / month. Great stuff, no dropping connection no slow down, just great since June 08

  Louis-Philippe Descamps, 29th September 2008

• O2 Broadband is amazing at only £10 for 16mb! I've had a few problems with my connection cutting off every now and then, but I called O2's very good customer service from the UK, and figured out that the problem was something to do with my phone line. So I've got nothing to complain about O2 :-). It's much better than my previous broadband providers; Wanadoo, Orange and Eclipse.

  Jonny, 16th September 2008

• I can not fault O2 broadband at all. They even phoned me to tell me I was receiving a slower connection than I was paying for (it seemed pretty fast to me!). They tried to fix it but when it was deemed that it was outside their control (I think they said something about the BT line) they put me on a lower price plan. They instigated all this - phenomenal customer service!

  Andy, 12th September 2008

• I've been with Virgin and Sky and now I've just moved to O2 and I'm already highly impressed. The price is fantastic with no catches, broadband goes at its optimum speed, it is compatible with Macs, the helpline is free and the guys are incredibly helpful!

  Arron, 20th August 2008

• Five stars. O2 is an excellent ISP offering hassle free, first class service. I highy recommended it.

  susan wilkes, 5th July 2008

• O2 broadband is exceptional.

  Steven (Mortlake exchange), 10th June 2008

• I love O2 broadband, it's the best ever, I can't fault one bit of it . I was with AOL Broadband before and they were useless. Well done O2 keep up the good work.

  toby how (Stalham exchange), 29th May 2008

• Great livebox, great speed, well done O2. But will they stay like this?

  Time will tell.

  elias, 1st April 2008

• Amazing! From the moment I signed up, it has been excellent. Constant texts and emails to update me on the progress and up and running 3 days earlier than initially promised.

  The speed I have, as tested online, is higher than I was told I would get from the package. It's also a bargain at £7.50 a month because I have an O2 mobile. Even so, it is slightly more expensive than the deal Orange gave me to stay with them, but it's so worth it not to have that headache.

  I called O2 a couple of times during set up and both times spoke to someone UK based who was very polite and could help with tech issues in moments. Tonight, my internet went down, despite being 11pm on a bank holiday Monday, I spoke to someone in less than a minute, they said they'd restart my connection at the exchange, wait twenty minutes and if not back on, call back. Twenty minutes later, it came back on. Smooth.

  Dee Edwards (South Kensington exchange), 24th March 2008

• I love O2 broadband. Download and upload speeds are great. One downfall is that browsing is quite slow.

  Their customer service is wonderful. You don't have to phone them. You can apply for text alerts to help you set up. Once set-up, you can get step-by-step assistance configuring your wireless modem by instant messenger from one of their techies.

  Overall, compared to other ISPs, O2 is the best I've seen. Lets see how long O2 will the best ever.

  Great Job O2

  Anil Gurung (Hatch End exchange), 11th January 2008

• Absolutely fantastic service! So much better than my previous ISP. Communication was excellent with text messages to tell you when it was ready to plug in and the set up worked like a dream. Very impressed after half an hour of usage - super quick!

  Richard (Waverley exchange), 10th December 2007

• I am loving O2, I already had a mobile contract with them and it was so cheap to get broadband too. Bargain. Obviously I went for the Ultimate contract with a static IP address. My gaming server is pretty sweet now. Hours on fun online, so cheers O2!

  Stevo Mc (Wigan exchange), 30th October 2007

• Fantastic service from O2, switching providers was really straightforward. Their customer help staff really knew their stuff so I was up and running in no time. I appreciated the number of e-mail accounts that they offered too. Very handy for running my fly fishing business from home

  Roger McKinnon, 30th October 2007

• I found O2 to be an excellent ISP; I went for the standard package and I was really impressed with the speed at which I could surf the web. The O2 wireless box was great too - it meant that the children didn't squabble about who could go on MSN messenger! And of course the parental controls on the McAfee software gave me piece of mind that they weren't at risk from illegal websites.

  Julieta (Twyford exchange), 30th October 2007

• Just got O2 broadband installed and it's great. No fuss, great wireless livebox and super-fast broadband speed at 18Mb! Awesome stuff. Comes well reccommended.

  Jez Sealey (Bloomsbury Aka Howland St exchange), 30th October 2007