They’ve certainly taken their time getting around to it, but BT has finally entered the consumer mobile broadband market with the launch of a new pre-pay service for new and existing customers.
For a one off charge of fifty quid, customers on BT Total Broadband options 1 or 2 can add mobile broadband to their service, while those on the premium option 3 package can get the mobile broadband dongle for just a tenner with no additional mobile charges other than what they’re already paying on their home broadband contract.
Customers signing up to the service are given an 18-month contract with a monthly data cap of 1GB. Go over that, and the BT crew will slap you viciously around the face with a wet fish, punishing you to the tune of £10 per extra GB or £15 for going 3GB over the limit.
However, the deal sees BT customers also getting at least 250 minutes a month on the company’s nationwide Wi-Fi network which is accessible through the dongle.
For non-BT customers, the deal works out at £130 for a standalone mobile broadband dongle on an 18-month contract, restricted to 1GB of data per month.
BT reckon that all this adds up to the cheapest home and mobile broadband package in the country, with the mobile network based on the Vodafone network, which offers support for HSDPA downloads of up to 7.2Mbits/sec.
That sounds mighty fast, but Vodafone have admitted the real world speed is likely to be a lot lower, and be somewhere between 1Mbits/sec and 5Mbits/sec.
Here’s how the deals break down:
With BT Total Broadband Option 1
£49.99 one off dongle fee
BT Total Broadband Option 1:
£7.78 a month for the first 3 months, £15.65 thereafter
(18 month contract)
With BT Total Broadband Option 2
£49.99 one off dongle fee
BT Total Broadband Option 2:
£13.69 a month for the first 3 months, £20.54 thereafter
(18 month contract)
With BT Total Broadband Option 3
£9.99 one off dongle fee
BT Total Broadband Option 3:
£18.59 a month for the first 3 months, £24.46 thereafter
(18 month contract)
I just jumped to O2 for their home & mobile broadband. While not a bundle they discount the home service for mobile customers & if your line is LLU-able by O2 then it’ll be cheaper than this & you’ll have time unmetered Openzone & Cloud WiFi access. I’m not affiliated to O2 just a satisfied customer (so far). But then typical BT, lowest common denominator, make the most noise, sucker in the customers.
This article is incorrect, or at least ambiguous.
Existing BT totalbroadband customers, as usual, get a raw deal and have to pay the full £130.
Way to go BT, an excellent way to alienate your existing customer base. Roll on my contract expiry !!
Wish I’d seen Stephen’s comment before I tried to get this deal (as an existing customer) – the article is indeed incorrect. Spent an hour on the phone to five different and equally brainless BT monkeys trying to get this deal. Eventually gave up as none of them had even heard of it.
Here in the uk the government wants everyone to have high speed internet access through a designated dsl carrier. This can only be a good thing to allow everyone Internet access. Some debate as who is to pay. Perhaps the Internet Service Providers can pay for those who cannot afford it. Should apply to mobile broadband as well.