Are cheap broadband deals offering unlimited downloads a myth?
Unlimited broadband deals - fact or fiction
Wednesday, 14 Mar 2007 12:27
Broadband providers have been touting the benefits of their "unlimited broadband" offers, but a new study reveals in many cases these deals are nothing of the sort.
Despite unlimited cheap broadband offers, comparison service uSwitch.com reveals all broadband providers will disconnect customers using their internet connection "to excess" and "fair usage policies" do not specify the limit customers will be cut off at.
However, 71 per cent of customers think they have unlimited broadband connections.
As such cheap broadband deals advertised as having "unlimited" downloads should be scrapped uSwitch argues.
"Quite simply, broadband companies should not be allowed to advertise an unlimited broadband service when, in reality, a limit exists," said Steve Weller, head of communications services at uSwitch.
And the offer of cheap broadband with unlimited downloads has drawn millions of households to signing up, with uSwitch calculating some nine million Britons think they are on unlimited broadband deals.
"Even if the limit is high, as is the case with the majority of the services we have studied, the fact remains that it still exists and we are alarmed that nine million broadband users seem unaware of this," Mr Weller said.
And this problem could become far more acute, as video on demand services, streaming television and radio programmes, and music downloads and podcasts see the amount downloaded rocket.
"It appears that we are being, in the best case, dazzled, or in the worst case, misled by the glamorous, expensive advertising campaigns that we are currently seeing on our televisions," Mr Weller said.
"It could be argued that consumers are being led down the garden path and are being let down by the terms and conditions that lie hidden beneath the glitz."
uSwitch is calling for:
Standardisation of broadband fair usage policies, quantifying "excessive" usage and defining the policy for restricting or terminating the service of customers that go over this limit
The term "unlimited" to be banned in broadband advertising, unless it genuinely has no limits or restrictions
Compulsory warnings before service is disconnected, such as alerts on customers' bills
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