As there are so many broadband providers on the market today, it can be a difficult task choosing the right package, one that is not only cheap for the first few months, but also reasonably priced thereafter. Some providers try to come across as offering a good deal by pricing the first three months or so at around £6 per month and then increase the price by a considerable amount. One such package is provided by AOL broadband, which starts out at a very competitive £4.99 per month, but this is only for the first three months and after that the price increases to £14.99 per month. There is also a set up fee of £29.99, which is not such a good deal, as many broadband providers do not charge for connecting a customer to the Internet.
In comparison, Virgin Media offer a similar package for as little as £12.50 per month, but it is only this price to customers who already have a Virgin phone line. For new customers the charge is £20 per month, which is significantly more. The package comes with a free wireless router and free Internet security. The speed of downloads can be up to 10Mb and the deal includes unlimited downloads. The AOL package has a download speed of 8Mb and the customer is limited to a 10Gb usage allowance. There are similarities to the Virgin package, such as the free wireless router and the benefit of 24/7 phone or online support.