Cheap Broadband - How Do You Get It?

Cheap broadband isn't that hard to find. What's hard to find is good cheap broadband. In other words, cheap broadband that suits your needs.

Interestingly, if you're after cheap broadband, the first thing you should look for is not the price. You should be looking for bundling. A broadband internet plan that's bundled with a phone plan on a single bill will generally be cheaper, overall, than standalone broadband plus phone plans - which is what many people still have.

Interestingly, if you're after cheap broadband, the first thing you should look for is not the price. You should be looking for bundling. A broadband internet plan that's bundled with a phone plan on a single bill will generally be cheaper, overall, than standalone broadband plus phone plans - which is what many people still have.

By bundling your home or mobile phone with a wireless broadband connection, you can reduce your phone and Internet costs significantly Sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Now that Australia has nationwide 3G mobile networks, some Internet Service Providers can deliver both phone and internet over the same mobile network. This makes voice calls a lot cheaper than before, so Internet Service Providers (e.g. Virgin Broadband) can deliver broadband and phone bundles at a fraction of the price you're probably expecting.

But, good cheap broadband requires more than just a bundled internet phone. For starters, your phone shouldn't echo or make you sound like you're at the end of a very long tunnel. Good cheap broadband / phone bundling requires the same phone clarity that you get from your mobile with a reputable provider in a good coverage area. For this, you need an expansive, powerful 3G network with true nationwide coverage.

And then, to be truly called good cheap broadband / phone bundling, you'd want it to include unlimited standard local and national calls (with free calls to mobiles on the same network), free voicemail to receive and retrieve in Oz, free connection and no excess usage charges.

So when it comes down to it, 'cheap broadband' means more than just low cost or cheap Internet. The differences between standalone broadband prices are fairly minimal. What 'cheap broadband' really means, these days, is significant savings on your combined telephone and Internet costs.

If you're after cheap broadband don't look for price - look for bundling.