PlusNet offers home phone for only £1.99 a month

Broadband and phone provider PlusNet is offering their home phone package for only £1.99 a month, when customers take out the PlusNet broadband Option 1 package for £9.99 a month.

The £1.99 offer lasts for the first 3 months – then the home phone price goes up to £9.99 a month.

This means that the broadband and phone bundle costs £11.98 a month for 3 months, then £19.98 a month.

Plus Net offers up to 8Mb broadband which for Option 1 comes with a free wireless 4-port router, a 2GB monthly broadband usage allowance, and free overnight usage (from midnight – 8am).

PlusNet’s home phone package includes line rental and comes with free evening and weekend calls to all UK landlines, and free calls to other PlusNet customers.

This offer changes on 10 December, when the free wireless router switches to a free wired router.

View the PlusNet Broadband Option 1 & Home Phone bundle.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

02 offers free prepay Ericsson phone with 02 Mobile Broadband

Mobile phone and broadband provider 02 is offering a free prepay Sony Ericsson T280i mobile phone when customers sign up for 02 mobile broadband on an 18 or 24 month contract.

The free mobile phone has an RRP of £49.99, and comes with an FM radio, 1.3 megapixel camera and Bluetooth.

02 mobile broadband has up to 1.8mb download speed, a 50 day happiness guarantee and a free USB modem. it is Mac and PC compatible.

There are two 02 mobile broadband packages – Mobile Broadband 3GB for £15 a month, and Mobile Broadband 10GB for £30 a month.

The 02 Mobile Broadband one month contract is not included in this offer. The offer runs out on Christmas Eve, or ealier if stocks run out.

Visit the 02 Mobile Broadband website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

New satellite and digital TV website launches

A new satellite and digital TV website has launched.

www.satellite-and-digital-tv.co.uk showcases products and services from satellite and digital TV providers Sky, Virgin TV, BT Vision, Apple TV, Tiscali TV, Setanta Sports TV and more – plus TV providers where you only pay an initial cost (eg for installation, a set top box or for a PVR) such as Freeview, Top Up TV and Freesat.

New satellite and digital TV deals are highlighted and there is regularly updated news about the satellite and digital TV sector.

The new website is from the company behind broadband comparison website UK Broadband Finder.

Project Kangaroo trial planned for January 09

Project Kangaroo is launching beta trials early in 2009 – before the final ruling of a Competition Commission enquiry are known.

The beta tests will be closed, with a small number of users testing the service.

Project Kangaroo is a collaboration with ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC and aims to offer programmes on demand – including a catch up TV service of recent programming, and classic TV serials.

Read more on The Guardian website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

TalkTalk may be split from Carphone Warehouse

Carphone Warehouse is considering spinning off TalkTalk, the broadband arm – and releasing its vaslue to shareholders.

Bankers have been asked by founder Charles Dunstone to look into this.

Prospective buyers could be BSkyB, or 02 owners Telefonica.

Despite these moves any spin off is unlikely until well into 2009 becaome of current business conditions.

Visit the TalkTalk website for broadband and phone deals.

Visit the Carphone Warehouse website.

Read more about this on The Telegraph website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

ITV shows to go on demand with BT Vision

The BBC’s Newsbeat is reporting that ITV shows are to go on demand from December 2008 – on the BT TV service BT Vision, via their catch-up Replay TV service.

Up until this deal, top shows have been available for download via the web only. The new service will make shows available soon after the original broadcast and for up to the next eight days. Selected older shows will also be available.

BT Vision.

Read more on the Newsbeat website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Win a PS3 from TalkTalk just by checking if you can get free broadband

TalkTalk, the broadband and phone provider, is offering its website users the chance to win a PS3 – simply by using the TalkTalk free broadband availability checker on the TalkTalk website during November.

TalkTalk, which is owned by the Carphone Warehouse, has had great syccess with its free broadband deals since it launched them.

Competition entrants will be contacted by TalkTalk to discuss their broadband requirements.

Find out more on the TalkTalk website, including terms and conditions.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

TalkTalk offers up to 24Mb broadband

Broadband and phone provider TalkTalk is launching a broadband & phone package with the option of superfast broadband download speeds of up to 24Mb.

The package – MyTalkTalk – will have a basic price of £6.49 a month (plus a £10.50 line rental charge that customers will no longer have to pay to BT, and a one-off connection fee of £29.99), though the £6.49 doesn’t include the superfast speeds – for that the user has to pay £4 a month for each add-on (or Boost), such as the 24Mb speed upgrade, or the doubling of the download allowance to 80Gb.

These Boosts can be added on at any time. The benefit of the different Boosts available means that the user has 721 different product combinations to choose from at any one time.

Many consumers have become frustrated that they do not use all the benefits that come with a broadband package, but these Boosts can be added and removed – for example when going on holiday.

MyTalkTalk launches on Tuesday 18 November.

TalkTalk broadband packages.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

BT announces job cuts

BT expects to have made 10,000 jobs redundant by the end of March 2009 – though the jobs mainly expected to be affected are held by contracting or agency staff.

BT has a totoal worldwide workforce of 160,000.

4,000 of the 10,000 jobs have already gone with  another 6,000 due to go.

Read more on the BBC News website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Ashley Highfield leaves Project Kangaroo

Ashley Highfield has left his role as CEO of Project Kangaroo to become Managing Director of Microsoft UK’s online operation.

Highfield, previously BBC director of future media and technology, has only been Project Kangaroo for four months.

Project Kangaroo is a service which will offer consumers video on demand including classic serials for sale or for free download. Channel 4, ITV and BBC Worldwide make up the Kangaroo consortium.

Read more on The Guardian website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder