AOL Broadband 8Mb deals

• 8Mb AOL broadband & 10GB usage
• No setup costs
• Free wireless router when you sign up online
• Keep your BT line rental but get AOL unlimited calls if you want them.
• Family-friendly!
• First month free then two months for £4.99

AOL broadband review: Broadband 8Mb deals

AOL Broadband's 8Mb deals have recently been relaunched and, to the the relief of broadband reviewers everywhere, they're a lot less complicated and much better value than before.

AOL Wireless Broadband

AOL broadband without AOL line rental is a mid-market product with an up to 8Mb broadband connection, a free wireless router and no set-up fees.

For faster broadband from AOL - up to 24Mb - you'll have to go for AOL broadband with line rental.

There's a 10GB monthly usage limit which, while it's not overly generous, should be more than enough for light-ish users.

Basically, if you generally use the internet for browsing sites and emailing you'll be fine, it's only if you often download or stream content that you'll run into trouble.

Still, 10GB is enough for you to download around 3,000 songs OR watch around 20 mid quality 45-minute BBC iPlayer programs so there's no need to forgo these activities entirely.

Is it any good?

AOL offers good value for money - mostly down to its AOL call plan (see below for an explanation of this).

For families, AOL scores high on the customer satisfaction front by offering unique family-friendly features.

Undeniably, AOL does have negative user reviews but with these changes, and the company's takeover by TalkTalk, we're hoping to see a big improvement.

Unlimited Calls

You'll save money with AOL by taking an AOL Unlimited calls deal with your broadband.

Just broadband is only £2 more a month but over the length of your 18-month contract you're paying £36 for evening and weekend calls instead of anytime.

This is an unusual deal in that you'll still be paying BT line rental, you'll just pay AOL for any additional calls you make.

Since this plan offers inclusive Anytime calls to UK landlines that means it's quite possible to pay nothing extra.

A connection fee of 9.05p applies to all chargeable calls which include non-geographic numbers starting 084 and 087. Calls to those numbers will cost you up to 10p p/min.

Having AOL Talk also means that it's be free to call AOL broadband customer services.

Note also that getting AOL broadband and line rental will be cheaper again since you'll get a big discount on the broadband (to £9.99 a month) and AOL line rental is £11.25, cheaper than BT's.

Local Loop Unbundling

AOL broadband is an LLU broadband provider, this means they have installed their own systems in some of BT's exchanges - and where they have done so, can offer lower prices and faster speeds.

However, LLU providers don't "unbundle" every exchange in the UK and this creates a 'network' divide - those customers within AOL's network and those customers outside of AOL's network.

Not all LLU providers offer broadband to those outside of their network. AOL does but the downside is an additional £5 per month charge.

Everything else is identical though - including the broadband speed, monthly download usage, contract options, set up costs, free wireless router and choice of call plans.

All in All

If you're a family, like to talk a lot, want a fast and reliable connection, but aren't going to be downloading serious amounts of web content - then AOL Wireless package could be a good fit.

A little more detail...

Broadband		Special Note...
Package:	Broadband 8Mb	-
Connection:	ADSLMAX	Telephone line
Max Speed:	Up to 8Mb
Usage Limit:	10GB
Totally Unlimited:	No
Hardware:	Wireless router	-
Internet Security:	Available	Available for £2.49 per month.
Online Gaming:	All major consoles supported

Home Phone
Summary:	Choice of call plans Optional AOL line rental
Choose a package option to see more details