Orange ups broadband speed war

Thursday, 22 October 2009 11:54

Orange is introducing 20Mb broadband as standard for all new customers where the service is available.

The cheapest deal on the service is £10 a month, or £7 a month with an Orange pay monthly mobile plan.

The 20 meg service is only available to 65 per cent of UK homes.

James Parker, broadband manager at moneysupermarket.com said: "It's great to see a broadband provider with a smaller customer base like Orange making moves in the same way BT and Virgin Media have to get UK broadband up to speed.

"The only thing to keep in mind is that this offer is up to 20MB, so for some people this speed may not be achievable due to their location, but minimum speeds should increase significantly for most Orange customers."

"I hope this announcement encourages more providers to follow suit and up their minimum speeds. This also goes to show how far off the mark the Digital Britain report was in setting a minimum speed of 2MB."

The decision from Orange has been met by PlusNet also pledging up to 20Mb broadband at £15.99 a month.

"Increasing the performance of their customers' internet packages is a positive step but ISPs must remember that speed is not the only issue close to peoples' hearts," said Michael Phillips, product director at Broadbandchoices.co.uk.

He explained connection reliability is most important consideration for users with connection speed and value for money following closely behind.

"Orange has been losing broadband customers of late and we would hope that the increase in speed and changes to its price plans will be the first step, of many, to improve its services and so reverse this trend.

Other providers to offer faster connections include O2 and BE.

He added: "Remember that some ISPs charge different amounts depending on location so you should always check offers in your area by using an Ofcom accredited comparison calculator."

20Mb Best buys

Source: Broadbandchoices.co.uk

• Tags:
• broadband prices
,
• household
,
• news