Competition to offer the cheapest broadband and calls package in the UK appears to have increased after budget internet provider Primus Saver launched a new bundle into the market that costs from just £1.20 per month. But what do you get for such a low price and is it the cheapest?
Surprisingly Primus’s new offer, which appears designed to undercut Direct Save Telecom’s recent stab at the cheapest bundle (here), includes a reasonably strong selection of features, such as a 20GB usage allowance with free evening and weekend calls. As usual you’ll also need to take line rental from Primus Saver too, although this has also been reduced to just £12.79 a month.
Advertisement
Primus Savers £1.20 Bundle
* Typical download speeds of up to 15Mbps (24Mbps ADSL2+ tech)
* Free evening and weekend UK calls
* 20 GigaByte usage allowance (monthly)
* UK based customer service
* Free Wireless Router
* Free Connection from an existing provider (otherwise one-off fee of £20)
* Free Technical Support
* 12 Month Contract
As ever it’s important to point out that there are other costs hiding in the small print. Firstly, it costs £2 per GB once you exceed your data allowance. Anybody choosing not to pay by Direct Debit will also have to stump up a further £1.80 per month and if you want a Paper Bill then that also costs an additional £1.80 per month (expensive paper). Some of these costs are normal for other ISPs too. The service is also only available to those within the provider’s network coverage.
But is this the UK’s cheapest deal? Sadly that’s always a difficult one to answer because of the complexity and variety of different costs that can impact consumers. For example, TalkTalk currently offers it’s arguably more capable ‘Essentials‘ package with unlimited downloads (FUP) at half price for £3.25 per month and Line Rental for £14.50. But the Line Rental can also be paid in advanced and thus reduced to £9.50, at which point it would be cheaper than Primus’s new offer (£12.75 TT vs £13.99 PS).
Consumers should also be very careful about having high expectations for such bundles. Ultra cheap packages won’t produce the kind of return on an investment that would allow ISPs to deliver the best quality of service, which is fine if you just want basic connectivity but don’t expect a lot if you only pay a little.
In related news the ASA recently set a new rule that requires ISPs to mention the crucial cost of line rental alongside that of their broadband and or calls service (here).
Advertisement
Comments are closed