Best student broadband deals UK: Get a cheap broadband or fibre package for university
Save on your broadband contract in your student accommodation
Choosing the right broadband package for your student accommodation is crucial. You’ll be relying on your internet to swot up for exams and dissertations, respond to lecturers’ emails and keep up to date with your course content. Not to mention all the Netflix binge-watching and FaceTiming with friends and family.
Below, we’ve found the best deals for top broadband and fibre packages from BT, Sky and Virgin Media. These plans are guaranteed to deliver the goods without costing a fortune but there’s still a few things you should consider before signing the dotted line. Check out our top tips below.
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How to choose the best student broadband package for you
Get the price right
While paying over the odds for broadband is a no-go for students watching every penny, be wary of choosing a plan simply because it has the lowest monthly rate. You’ll most likely be left with crippling download speeds, hidden costs and a mid-contract price hike. Similarly, don’t let the freebies that network providers offer suck you in. Getting a free tablet or smart speaker with your contract may seem like great value but it often works out more expensive than if it wasn’t included.
Don’t choose a plan that’s too long
Contracts for rented accommodation tend to last for a year. Naturally, you won’t want to be tied down with a broadband contract for longer than necessary so steer clear of 18-month plans. Some nine-month contracts pop up just before university starts in September but these are few and far between and usually have a marked-up monthly rate that’s not too dissimilar to a 12-month plan.
The download speed is important
How many people are sharing your house? If there’s only a few of you, and you’re not big streamers, a standard ADSL package will do since you can expect download speeds of up to 17Mbits/secs. These are generally the cheapest and can be used across a few devices on a low-to-medium use. Larger house shares will benefit from fibre-optic broadband. These plans cost more than a standard broadband package but you can expect faster average downloads speeds of 50Mbits/sec to 350Mbits/sec. It’s ideal if you’re all streaming videos or talking to family over video call at once.
Note that while service providers are obligated to share average download speeds, the performance of the service will depend on how many people are using the service at once, if you’re close to the router and where you live.
Are phone and TV addons necessary?
Adding a phone plan seems redundant when most of us are attached to our smartphone but a TV plan might prove to be a beneficial bonus. For example, with Sky Broadband you can enjoy Sky Sports, Sky Entertainment or Sky Cinema addons.
Best broadband deal for students this August: BT Broadband
BT Broadband Superfast Fibre Deal inc FREE JBL soundbar worth £150
Duration contract: 12 months | Average download speed: From 50Mbits/sec | Monthly cost: £30 | Added costs: £10 (P&P for router)
BT is offering a FREE JBL Bar Studio Soundbar worth £150 when you sign up to a student broadband package. The deal applies to BT’s Superfast Fibre deals and to qualify, you’ll need to sign up with your university email address. The Superfast Fibre plan is £30 per month for unlimited usage, average speeds of 50 Mbit/sec and access to over 5 million UK Wi-Fi hotspots. The Superfast Fibre 2 deal is £35 per month for average speeds of 67 Mbit/sec. Both offers are based on a 12-month contract and a £9.99 delivery charge applies.