Of the estimated 14.3 million UK households with an internet connection, 69 per cent now have broadband connections ?but if youre in that last 31 per cent that are still holding streamyx 1m to their trusty old dial up could it finally be time to upgrade?
We have put together broadband & streamyx list of reasons to keep dial up, and a list of why, with dial up figures falling almost 35 per cent last year, its time you ditched the aging technology and moved on up to broadband.
Reasons to keep dial up:
1. Moving on is easy
With no minimum contract term, pay as you go dial up customers get the reassurance of being able to switch to a new provider whenever they want, unlike broadband subscribers who usually have to sign up for a year. This means that if youre unhappy with your service you can simply leave, with no need to get a MAC code, making it more flexible than broadband.
2. Pay for what you use
Using a pay by the minute service, you get instant internet access using a free sign-up CD. There is no registration process and no monthly fee. This also means, that unlikea cable broadband connection, you dont need an engineer to visit your home.
A number of providers offer a pay-as-you-go service, and costs vary, but both Toucan and BT charges start from 1p a minute. BT charge a 3p set-up fee (there is no set-up fee when using ToucanTalk)
3. Variety
There is an assortment of different packages available, from the malaysia bar pay-as-you service to monthly packages ranging from free evening and weekend usage to the more expensive unlimited deals.
4. Freebies
AOL currently offer a months free trail on their Anytime dial up (15.99 a tmnet jaring thereafter). With no minimum contract, you could, in theory, just switch away when your free time is up.
5. Customer service
Since you just need to plug in your phone line, you are less likely to experience the problems that many broadband customers have encountered. However, if you do have problems, you could find it difficult to solve them, as you would need to disconnect your dial up to call customer services.
6. It's portable
If you have a fixed dial up account, you can take it with you wherever you go. If you move house you wont experience a break in connection. Or even if you just want to use your laptop at a friends house, you can just plug it into a phone line and surf.
Reasons to ditch dial up:
While the benefits of dial up seem quite appealing on paper, there are still many reasons to go broadband.
1. Speed
Getting a broadband internet providers will increase your internet speed by up to 10 times. Even though the published dial up speed is streamyx outlook the reality is only about 35k, so you would definitely notice the difference in switching to broadband.
2. Cost efficiency
Although you have to pay a flat rate bill every month, a decent broadband connection is about the same price, if not less, than a fixed dial up connection. For example, AOL Anytime dial up is 15.99 a month for a connection of up to 56k, but their Silver 1Mb package, giving you all the benefits of broadband, is only 14.99 a month. Both packages offer a month free when you buy online.
The flat rate bill also means that you dont need to worry about how much time you spend online.
3. You can use your phone
Unlike dial up, which uses your home phone line to run your internet connection, broadband leaves you free to make and receive calls. This also means that any problems can be dealt with in real time with customer services. If youre going for a cable connection you will need an engineer to set it up in your home, but this isnt needed with an ADSL line, and set-up is very easy.
4. Always on
With broadband your internet connection is always on. This means that you dont have to wait to get online and you can use it whenever you like without paying extra. What it doesnt mean however, is that your PC is permanently connected to the internet. Just as with dial up, your connection drops when your PC is turned off.
5. More for your money
The faster download speeds available with a broadband connection allow you to take advantage of faster page loading and music and movie downloads.
6. A whole new world
Upgrading to a broadband connection not only allows you to download faster, it also lets you experience the internets true potential. You can receive RSS news feeds, listen to online kuala lumpur malaysia work on your own blog, or connect to your office PC from home ?things that you would find difficult or impossible with a dial up connection.
If youre still attached to your dial up, or are unsure about whether or not to get a broadband connection, why not tmnet dsl us and see if we can help.
Click here to compare broadband packages against the cost of your dial up.
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