BT’s Student Broadband Deal

When you move out of home to go and study you have to consider what sort of broadband you are going to be getting. There are a number of providers that offer student broadband and BT is one of them. It is important that you understand what BT’s student broadband deals are and how they can help you. You should also consider the pros and cons of getting a student broadband deal instead of a normal broadband deal.

The Two Packages You Can Get

When you look at BT’s student broadband offerings you will notice that there are two different deals. These deals are the Unlimited Infinity 1 with calls and the unlimited broadband with calls. These two deals offer different speeds because they are on different broadband connections. You have to consider all of this when you look at the deals and what they are going to be offering you.

The Broadband Connection

One of the most important things that you have to look at when you consider student broadband is the connection you are getting. There are two different broadband connections that you can get and they are ADSL and fibre optics. BT offers student broadband packages with each of these connections.

The most commonly used connection type is ADSL because it runs off the copper wires of the phone network. Fibre optic connections are not as common and only 60% of the country can get this connection. This is due to the limited fibre optic infrastructure.

You have to check which of these deals is available on your area before you sign up. If you cannot get fibre optic broadband at your new address then you are going to have to get ADSL. The problem with this is that ADSL does offer a slower speed.

The Contract Length

Student broadband is different to other types of broadband because of the contract length. As many students are in a residence only for the term time they do not want to sign a 12 month contract which is the minimum with most fixe line broadband. There is the option of monthly rolling broadband, but providers for this are hard to find and the long-term costs are more than other broadband types.

When you look at what BT has to offer you will see that they are offering contract terms that suit students. When you get one of BT’s deals you will be locked into the contract for 9 months. This is ideal for students as this is the length of the school year.

If you are going to be staying in the residence for more than 9 months then the price of the broadband will increase. You have to consider this if you are going to be using the package for longer than 9 month. If you are doing this you should also consider whether or not you should be looking at a normal contract instead of the student contract.

The Costs of the Broadband

When you look at the advertised costs you will see that student broadband is generally cheaper than other kinds of broadband. However, you have to consider what the other costs are with these packages. You have to look at all the costs to determine whether or not BT student broadband is the right option for you.

The costs per month are actually very low and they will appeal to the budget of most students. If you are sharing the costs between people then the amount is even lower. BT also offers deals on the student packages where you could get the package for a number of months for free. These offers are generally limited in time and location, but they are worth checking.

Both packages from BT include calls which mean that you have to get a phone line as well. The fibre optic package requires the phone line for the calls service and the broadband as it could be through an FTTC connection. The line rental that you have to pay each month should be taken into account. The amount is generally not discounted because of the lower price of the monthly payment.

You should also consider the activation charges. This charge is a once off payment that you have to make at the start of your contract before the broadband is installed. If you do not want to pay one of these fees you have to find out if the package you are going to get charges this.

The Downloads

There are a lot of student broadband packages that have limits on the data that you get each month. This can be hard for students who are sharing a residence to track. This is not something you have to worry about when you are looking at the BT student offerings. BT offers unlimited broadband with both of their student deals.

Of course, you will have to check to see if this is truly unlimited or not. If the package is truly unlimited then there are no restrictions at all on the downloading and data usage. However, if it is not truly unlimited then you will be subject to traffic management and fair usage policies. This can cause lower speeds at certain time and your speeds can be throttled if you exceed the fair usage amounts.

What You Need to Get the Broadband

Getting student broadband form BT is a good idea, but you have to consider how you are going to get this. What are you going to be asked for when you try and get these packages. You should try and find out what BT is going to want to see from you.

There are some providers that want to see proof that you are a genuine student and you have to consider if BT is one of them. Some providers will also need a guarantor who will take responsibility for the payments of the broadband if you are not able to. These are all little factors that you have to look into before you sign up so that you are prepared when you are asked for information.

The MiFi Option

What is Mifi? MiFi is mobile broadband that uses a router device to enable up to 5 devices to connect to mobile broadband simultaneously. This has made mobile broadband an excellent option for students. With 4G connectivity rolling around the country the flexibility and power of mobile broadband is going to get better and better.

When Sam Jones was asked ‘What is Mifi? He was only too happy to help. He also pointed his friend towards price comparison sites like uSwitch to get great deals.