However, it?s important to note that the package is now a limited bandwidth deal, giving users 40 GB of data every month rather than the previously available unlimited option which is now only available on the higher end packages for the company.

However, this move still represents a good deal for people looking for cheap cost, high speed broadband that generally shines in terms of both speed and reliability. Be Broadband recently topped the upload speed charts for all UK ISPs in December and came second for overall download speeds only to Virgin Media, who are a cable company that use a different type of web technology altogether.

The deal offers everything the older deal had except the unlimited connection, making it good for people who required high speed broadband in small bursts and don?t want to have to pay a premium for an unlimited connection. If you intend to download heavily or regularly engage in high bandwidth activities such as video streaming, you?ll be better finding another package or looking at Be?s more higher priced schemes that include an unlimited connection, which makes it a good option for people that need fast

It?s unclear if existing users of the value package will be able to migrate to the new offer before their 12 month contract finishes, although it seems unlikely.

Head of Operations at Be, Tom Williams said:

?The trends we?re seeing are for no traffic management allowing more freedom and of course lower prices. Our members demand the freedom to prioritise and think for themselves, not have their broadband provider do it for them. We believe there a lot of customers that will leap at the chance to get a service that doesn?t slow down based on the content of their downloads but don?t use the internet enough to justify an unlimited product.”

Richard Halton, the programme director for Project Canvas said:

?The potential for innovation goes far beyond bringing video-on-demand to the TV set and there?s a huge opportunity for a wide range of new commercial models to thrive. We always wanted all the UK?s public service broadcasters and at least two ISPs to be involved in the venture at launch, so we?re delighted that Channel 4 and Talk Talk have joined the project.?

?Today we?re inviting any further expressions of interest from other companies to join the venture. We hope that any other businesses that share a similar vision for internet-connected TV will want to be a part of this story.”

The companies will be working together to create an entirely new brand, technical specification and standards committee called the Digital Television group, although BBC involvement in the project is still subject to the approval of the BBC trust. This could be big news for fans of IPTV services and free-to-air television alike, as services like Freeview and FreeSat will gain access to a huge amount of on demand content that has previously only been available via services like Virgin Media or through the internet.

Of course, there are already boxes that exist to do such things, but it will still be nice to see them hit the mainstream under a single body and with some guaranteed standards put in place.

The good thing about brand new free laptop deals is that you know the laptop you’ll be getting from it is a top of the range new model rather than something that’s now old. As you’ll typically be on mobile broadband contracts for 18 months to 2 years, you really want a laptop or netbook to be something that’s new, efficient and useful for you.

Here are the systems:

Asus 1005H – £24.48 Per Month (3GB)

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* 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU
* 1GB RAM
* 160GB Hard Disk
* 10.1″ LED Backlit Widescreen Display
* Integrated Camera and Microphone
* 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
* Integrated Intel Graphics

Samsung R519 – £34.26 Per Month (3GB)

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* Intel Pentium Dual Core (T3400) 2.16GHz CPU
* 2GB RAM
* 250GB Hard Disk
* 15.6 inch TFT
* DVD Super Multi DL Drive
* WLAN (Wi-Fi)
* 1.3MP Webcam
* Intel GMA 4500M Graphics

It’s nice to have a choice between a laptop and a netbook. Obviously, the laptop is more expensive and in terms of sheer power is much faster than the netbook. However, if you’re just looking for a portable computer to do basic office work and web browsing on you can’t go wrong with a netbook. At 10 inches, the screen and keyboard should be a good size to work with even if you have large hands.

Both these systems have received favourable reviews and look great though, so it really comes down to personal preference.

Both laptops are available on 2 year contracts and include 300 free text messages and unlimited WiFi access at o2 hotspots around the country. You do have to pay for the wireless dongle though which works out at £29.38 no matter which computer you choose. You can opt for a 10Gb monthly usage limit for an extra £10 or so on each package.

The service, which is available via tiscalli.co.uk to all Tiscalli users, has a catalogue of over 6 Million MP3’s from a huge variety of artists – both new and old. The service is a paid for download service like iTunes rather than a streaming service like Spotify.

Director of Online at TalkTalk Group, Neal McCleave said: “We are always looking for ways to enhance our portal and offer the best services to our six million users. The Music for Life service will be a great boost to our entertainment content and offers a huge range of tracks at very competitive prices.”

The news comes after Sky have also announced they are moving into the music download business, although the Sky Songs service does also offer a subscription based streaming function as well.

Although these services are providing vital competition in the music downloads market, we still recommend using Spotify if you simply want to listen rather than buy new music – its catalogue is massive and is available in both subscription and free models, the free version being supported by adverts.

The service provides both a free, ad supported package available to anyone and a monthly premium service costing £9.99 and removing adverts, improving musical quality and giving users access to a mobile application to listen to music on the go.

Now we’ve begun to see the first UK ISP ‘bundle’ which includes a Spotify subscription as part of its online service. The company has confirmed it has been working with mobile provider 3 to offer its platform to people who sign up to a 3 contract for the HTC hero mobile phone.

Although it’s only this single deal that’s available right now and non-mobile customers are unable to take advantage of it, it’s likely that 3 will be expanding their range of Spotify bundles in the future. Director of products and services at 3 said:

“This partnership continues our commitment to bring popular internet services to our customers. Over time our deal with Spotify will extend across a range of our products including mobile broadband.”

It’s not really known if this means that 3 have an exclusive contract with Spotify and we won’t be seeing the music service popping up as an additional perk in other mobile broadband and fixed line packages. Either way though, Spotify package deals may be something to keep an eye on if access to the latest and greatest music is something you find important online.

Talk Talk have announced deals like this before and although there’s no cut off date specified, it’s likely that this will only be available for a limited period. The deal means a saving of £29.99 from the service.

The Essentials package is ideal for casual net users, with broadband speeds of up to 8 Mbps, a free router and a 40GB download limit. Heavier users who wish to do a lot of downloading or streaming may have to look elsewhere, however.

The package can be boosted with additional security and faster speed through a slightly larger monthly charge, allowing users to customise a package to their specific needs.

This news comes shortly after TalkTalk announced their ‘Don’t Disconnect Us’ campaign, designed to oppose the government’s proposed plans to disconnect or throttle the speed of people accused of illegal file sharing.

The unlimited packages from the company come in two different flavours. The more expensive option at £28.34 has a better contention ratio and is designed for small business users, while the £21.48 package is designed for home use. Aquiss also offer a range of cheaper home packages although these are not unlimited during peak hours.

We like the range of packages and freedom of contract from Aquiss. Many of the packages are great value for money and cater to a large range of internet users. Although some are more expensive that competitors not being tied into a lengthy contract will appeal to many consumers. The company also seem very open about when and how they will cap your service on the limited connection packages which is something many larger mainstream ISPs could certainly learn from!

The two months free only applies to the premium, unlimited packages and is available until the 30th of September, so you have about a month to act on this one. Simply enter in the code 2MONTHSFREE during sign-up to get the special offer.

It’s quite hard to believe that we were once the leaders in the area though, especially after reading a new report by the Communication Works of America (CWA) released this month. The report labels the UK below 30 other countries in terms of the average broadband speed of its citizens.

The report was written to highlight the need for faster broadband in the United States, and includes a state-by-state rundown of America’s internet services. However, its international ratings list America as 29th overall, while the UK is even further behind at 31st in the list.

This is a very weak position for the UK, especially when you consider how impractical broadband is in countries that have much greater problems to deal with, and smaller budgets. Countries ranking above the UK include Japan, Sweden, Germany and South Korea, who top the list with an amazing 20.4 Mbps average speed. The UK average is less than 5 Mbps despite the fact it doesn’t have the geographical challenges of countries like the USA of Japan to contend with, and has a relatively small area to cover.

Compare these speeds to the minimum speed set out by the Digital Britain report of only 2 Mbps, and you can see why critics are concerned that the governments ‘minimum’ is far from acceptable for the next generation of broadband usage. Even if the report is implemented in the way it is intended, the UK will still find itself far behind many other developed countries when it comes to average broadband speeds.
Both Virgin and BT are pushing forward with plans to increase the coverage and speed of UK broadband. As the technology becomes cheaper, more consumers are likely to be attracted by the services offered from higher connections, such as HD video streaming. It will still be a long time before even 10 Mbps is an average speed, however.

“It’s a shame to see the UK lagging so far behind much of the developed world,” said ____, marketing director for UKCheapBroadband. “We’re looking forward to seeing some improvements in the next few years from the big name communication companies, but more will need to be done by the government if we are to remain competitive as a country in the digital marketplace.”

Recently however, Vodafone have bucked the trend by providing a ‘mini contract’ that lasts for only six months. This contract has the potential to be the ‘best of both worlds’ for many consumers, offering the low price of a contract with the knowledge that you’ll only have to sign up for six months at a time.

The deal is perfect for students who require mobile broadband during term but no longer need it when they go home or get fixed line broadband over the summer.

The Vodafone offers costs £15 for a 3GB monthly allowance and allows speed of up to 7.2 Mbps over their network, which currently covers around 80% of the country, although you’ll need to do your own checks to make sure you can receive the service in your area.

Going over the 3GB limit will result in you being charged £15 for every GB though, so this deal is best for light users that know for certain they aren’t going to exceed 3GB of net usage – which is around 100 hours a month, according to Vodaphone.

This quite a price to pay for something that you could potential do very easily, so we urge people who are interested in the deal to make sure they can operate within those bandwidth limits.

The deal requires a one-off purchase of a mobile broadband dongle from Vodafone, which costs £29.

If you’re going to be considering changing broadband deals in the next week, Be has an excellent offer available: sign up with the company by June 30th and you’ll receive £48 worth of Amazon vouchers to spend on anything you like.

While we normally don’t recommend voucher deals as they limit where you can shop, Amazon has such a huge range of products it’s unlikely you won’t find something you need a the store, even if it’s a very early Christmas present! Be had previous offered around £20 of vouchers for signing up, so this is a great deal if you’re able to switch soon.

Of course, signing up for a Broadband provider simply for vouchers isn’t recommended, as you will be stuck on a contract with a monthly fee. However, Be offer some of the best broadband in the country and are persistently rated high in customer satisfaction surveys. The company use ADSL2+ technology to provide speeds of up to 24 Mbps on their most expensive package, with uploads speeds as high as 2.5 Mbps.

Thanks to these speeds and incredibly low latency levels, Be is popular amongst people that need superfast internet such as those enjoying HD video streaming and online gamers. However, Be also offers entry level packages.

Be Cheap Broadband Deals

The Be Value deal offers up to 8 Mbps for only £13.50 a month, including unlimited download and 24 hour technical support. This deal is actually more fully featured than the ‘premium’ packages from some other UK ISPs. If you’re looking for even faster speeds, Be Unlimited and Be Pro are available at £17.50 and £21.50 respectively.

Heavy downloaders have found a home at Be with many customers reporting that while the company have a fair use policy, they don’t engage in the traffic shaping or bandwidth throttling that companies like BT have been reported to use in the past.

Be Voucher Code

To take advantage of the voucher offer when signing up, enter the code 24OfferBTC1 when finishing your online transaction.