Broadband trends - BT

itpro.co.uk | Communications giant BT has launched what it calls the UK’s cheapest home and mobile broadband bundle. | By Maggie Holland, 27 Apr 2009 at 11:07

BT has launched a new broadband package that provides both home and mobile connectivity for just over £15 a month.

Customers signed up to the company’s BT Total Broadband offering will now be able to get up to 8Mbps wireless broadband in addition to 1GB of free mobile surfing each month.

That data allowance should be enough for 300 emails, 400 minutes of web surfing plus quite a large handful of songs, according to BT – enough for a light business user or average consumer.

Those who have a larger appetite for mobile data will be able to top up their data usage levels for a fee.

To benefit from the new package, users connect using BT’s USB modem. Depending on the area they’re connecting in, some users will be able to surf the web at speeds of up to 7.2Mbps using HSDPA connectivity.

"This is an absolutely fantastic deal, the most complete home and mobile broadband for only 56p a day is a no-brainer. Now you can use broadband wherever you are without worrying about the cost,” said John Petter, managing director of BT’s consumer division, in a statement.

"You can use mobile broadband on the train, in the coffee shop or in the park for all the things you go online for, to look at your emails, check the football results, or watch Britain’s Got Talent star, Susan Boyle on YouTube."

Customers can also opt for BT’s standalone 1GB prepay USB modem, which costs £129.99 for 18 months. Top-up prices for this are £10 for 1GB and £20 for 3GB.

Last week BT announced that Starbucks customers could snack on Wi-Fi as well as coffee and crossiants while frequenting its stores. Wi-Fi has peaked in popularity for the communications giant of late, with it reporting that Wi-Fi usage doubled in 2008.