>> TalkTalk Broadband
>> BBC News on today’s announcement
>> Web User Magazine on today’s announcement
You’ll have probably heard news coverage today that Carphone Warehouse have launched what they’re describing as the UK’s first free broadband package. The first thing to say is that it’s not actually free – in that you have to move your line rental from BT to their TalkTalk landline service, and sign up for their Talk 3 International calls package. Customers signing up for this service will pay a one-off set-up fee of £29.99, will be locked into their new contract for a minimum of 18 months and will pay at least £20.99 a month for their line rental, broadband service, and unlimited calls to landlines in the UK and 28 countries worldwide.
There is no doubt that for all but the lightest callers or broadband users this is a very competitive deal, but I would be wary of rushing to sign up for this deal, as it is likely that other telecom companies and internet service providers will drop their prices in the coming months in response to today’s announcement.
At the time of writing the TalkTalk website is unavailable – which suggests that even they have underestimated the massive demand for this offer. TalkTalk today confirmed to me that by May they will have employed 1300 new customer service agents since Christmas 2005, but even when the site reopens for users to sign up, they may struggle initially to process the volume of applications for this deal – so there may be some delays between applying and transferring to TalkTalk.
Feedback from existing TalkTalk Broadband customers suggest that there are no problems with download speeds or service quality, but that it can take some time to get to speak to a member of their customer services team. But whether you are tempted by this new offer or not, today’s announcement can only be good news for consumers, as it is likely to shake up the market for broadband in the UK, and eventually lead to lower prices from a range of providers.
yes, but now orange and sky have bundled themselves in on the act. Think the sky deal is the best personally.
Posted by: jack sprat | Monday, October 09, 2006 at 03:22 AM