Broadband now cheaper than dial-up

Broadband has overtaken dial-up, not only in terms of speed, convenience and popularity, but also in terms of price, according to analysis by SimplySwitch.com.

Whether a customer pays for their dial-up per minute, or pays a monthly fee for ‘unlimited access’, they are now almost certain to make savings by switching to broadband. With over 40% of households now connected to broadband, and many more expected to subscribe this year, dial-up services are effectively being priced out of the market.

The average Briton spends over two and a half hours online every day.

SimplySwitch.com has calculated that if someone surfs the net for just two hours per week, and pays for their dial-up by the minute, they would save money by switching to broadband.

Likewise, if a customer pays a monthly fee for unlimited dial-up access, their current supplier almost certainly provides an equivalent broadband deal for less. Indeed, in many cases, free telephone calls are included in the broadband package, something that is not available with dial-up.

Karen Darby, founder of SimplySwitch.com, comments: “The advantages of switching from dial-up to broadband are obvious. With an 8Mb connection, broadband is 143 times faster than dial-up. You can download far larger files, watch videos online, use a wireless connection and you’ll even save money as well. Anyone who ditches dial-up will see a vast improvement to their online experience.

“One of the major barriers to switching is that many people still believe broadband requires the installation of extra cables. This is not the case as 99.8% of UK households have ready access to broadband through their existing telephone landline. Basically, if you currently have a home telephone, and don’t live in an isolated area, you should have access to broadband. Unlike when changing broadband suppliers, you won’t need a MAC (Migration Authority Code) to switch from dial-up to broadband and, if you use a service like SimplySwitch, the whole process is free and takes less than five minutes.”