If your broadband bills are making you wince now could be a very good time shop around and search for a better deal. Some of the UK’s biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have launched their early Black Friday deals and prices have plummeted. Sky and BT are just two of those ISPs with offers running right now and, if you want the best value, it appears Sky comes out on top.
The famous TV firm is currently dishing out fast full fibre internet access for just £27 per month – that’s it’s lowest ever price.
For that money, you get decent 150Mbps access which should easily be fast enough for an average home – an HD movie would take under four minutes to download at that rate.
As a quick comparison, BT also has its 150Mbps speeds reduced for Black Friday, but it is charging £29.99 per month for that bundle, which is over £30 more per year.
If 150Mbps sounds to slow then Sky also has its rapid 500Mbps speeds for £33 per month or most premium 1Gbps for £43 per month with both of these deals also beating Sky on price.
For example, you’ll pay Sky £33 per month for 500Mbps speeds whilst BT is charging £39.99.
Another thing to note is that Sky, along with most other ISPs, recently confirmed that it has now implemented the so-called “One Touch Switch” process which means new customers simply tell Sky they’d like to join with the Internet Service Provider (ISP) then doing the rest. There’s not even any need to tell your old ISP you are leaving.
Of course, before you sign up for a new plan with any main provider, it’s worth shopping around to make sure there are no smaller so-called “Alternative Networks” in your street.
Some of these firms, such as Hyperoptic, Toob and Community Fibre, offer seriously impressive speeds at a very low price.
For example, Hyperoptic is selling its 1Gbps connection for just £38 per month and Community Fibre has that same impressive speed for just £33.
It’s also worth remembering that most ISPs will hike prices each spring, so the cost you pay now will go up slightly before the end of your contract.
What speeds do you actually need?
Homes with two people using two phones and a tablet along with a 4K TV, one console and up to 20 other connected gadgets will be fine with a 50 Mbps connection.
A busier house with lots of televisions and tablets streaming in 4K might want to consider upgrading to around 200Mbps for the best experience.
Of course, the more and more people and devices in a property the faster the speeds you’ll need.
Think of it a bit like a motorway, the more traffic that runs along it, the slower things get. If you add more lanes to the road, it can cope with more cars – the same goes for your web connection.
