Why do your postcode checker and my broadband provider disagree?

I used your postcode finder to look for a new broadband provider but when I went to sign up they told me that the service isn't available in my area - what went wrong?

Our postcode checker finds all the broadband providers with services available at your house. Very very occasionally, though, a provider will disagree with us about what that service is.

This is because a broadband provider's technology at an exchange will only support a certain number of people. So, if the provider is too popular for their own good in an area like yours they have to start offering the service on a one-in-one-out basis.

While our postcode checker can see all the 'fixed' things that allow you to get a broadband service - such as the cables that run to your house and your distance from the exchange - we do have trouble with capacity simply because it changes so often as people sign up for and leave the provider.

So what are your options when your exchange is jam-packed?

Back to the Drawing Board

There are several options available to you when a service at an LLU (unbundled) exchange is at full capacity.

The first is to go back to the drawing board and check your postcode again in one of our broadband comparison tables.

Discount the provider that's not currently available to you and have another look, unbundled exchanges often have several good broadband providers available.

If you can't find another broadband provider in your area that you like as much as the one you originally tried to sign up with you could sign up for a non-LLU service from the same provider.

For example, we're heard of some people who are unable to get the full range of Sky broadband services who have chosen to settle for Sky broadband Connect and keep their TV and broadband on one bill.

The downside of this option is that because you're buying a plain ADSL BT wholesale product and this non-LLU service is likely to be more expensive and slower the broadband you wanted originally.

On the plus side, though, we have heard of people asking their provider to move them to the LLU service they want when capacity becomes available.

This service is entirely at the broadband provider's discretion, though, so it's well worth calling them to ask whether it would be possible in your case.

Mobile Broadband

If you can't get the home broadband provider that you can want another option might be mobile broadband.

A 3G dongle which can give you speeds of up to 7Mb (at its very best, actual speeds are likely to be much slower) can be an acceptable replacement for home broadband but only if you're a fairly light broadband user who needs to get online for surfing and emails (as opposed to downloads and streaming).

Even the mobile broadband with the largest usage allowances - such as 3 15gb mobile broadband - are fairly expensive compared with home broadband but it does mean that you wouldn't need to pay for line rental so you could potentially save some cash that way.

Mobile broadband also has the advantage of bypassing the line-length related issues that cause problems for so many fixed line broadband users.

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