O2 joins the broadband battle

On 15 October, O2 will finally join the broadband battleground with the launch of its new service, ‘O2 Broadband’.

Entering into an already crowded marketplace, O2 has pledged to ‘make broadband better’ with a service that is simple to use, offers transparent connection speeds and provides excellent customer service.Available to both existing and non-O2 customers, O2 Broadband will offer:

Connection speeds of up to 20Mb
Free wireless router
Free McAfee internet security
24 hour customer services helpline, free from UK landlines and O2 mobiles
Unlimited downloads (subject to fair usage policy)

Karen Darby, founder of SimplySwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service, comments: “O2 is the third mobile phone operator to enter the home broadband market, following entries by both Orange and Vodafone. As expected, O2 only offers its most competitive deals to its mobile customers, but it has taken the opportunity to introduce some innovative customer service features.

“For instance, before a customer signs up, O2 will check their phone line to estimate the likely connection speed. They will then ensure that the customer is placed on a package appropriate to the speed that their line can support. This will be re-checked a month later to ensure the package is still appropriate and that the customer only pays for the speed that they receive.

“Internet service providers (ISPs) have received heavy criticism for failing to deliver their advertised connection speeds. While all ISPs (including O2) are careful to state ‘up to’ speeds in their advertising, we feel something must be done to give consumers a better understanding of what they’re actually paying for. Assuming that O2’s system works effectively for the customer, we would like to see this rolled out across the industry. It’s high time that customers were protected from paying for a service that they have little or no chance of receiving.

“As far as O2’s new offering goes, there are definitely cheaper deals available elsewhere. Line rental isn’t included in the price and, at launch, O2 Broadband will only be available to 50 per cent of the UK. O2 is hanging its hat on good customer service and faster-than-average connection speeds. At present, there are only a handful of ISPs that offer speeds of up to 20Mb, and O2 mobile customers certainly get a good-value deal at this speed. It will be interesting to see how well O2 fares in this highly competitive market and whether the quality of its service lives up to its promises.”