Review of Tiscali Superfast Broadband Option 1
- Up to 8MB broadband
- Generous 5GB download limit
- Free wireless router when you sign up online
- Free setup and no activation fee
- Free weekend UK and international calls
- 12 month contract (was 18 month)
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THE race to become UK’s cheapest broadband package continues apace and Tiscali has upped the ante with their wallet friendly, Super Fast Broadband Option 1 – the cheapest broadband-only package currently available in the UK.
Weighing in at a mere £6.49 for the first three months, this Tiscali broadband package offers exceptional value for budget-minded, light internet users.
Free wireless router
Tiscali’s Super Fast Broadband Option 1 gives you 5GB of monthly usage, free setup and a free wireless broadband router – and you know how we all love free gadgets! Considering that most budget broadband offers only provide a free modem and charge an extra £20 - £40 to upgrade to a wireless router, this aspect alone makes Tiscali Super Fast Broadband Option 1 a fantastic buy.
You get all of this for only £6.49 per month. And though the special offer only applies to the first three months of new service, the final pricing of £12.99 is still great value.
Excellent for tight budgets
Compared to the other contenders within the Tiscali Super Fast Broadband offerings, Option 1 is an excellent choice for those on a tight budget.
But for those of us with higher download hunger - who could easily download 5GB in one go - £2 more will give you Tiscali Option 2 with unlimited downloads on the same 8mb speed service, that’s less than one small latte’s difference in price.
Greatly improved customer service
Despite some patchy spots in reliability and customer service, Tiscali seems to have ironed out their problems, earning the JD Powers number 1 position for customer satisfaction (according to broadband customer surveys in December 2007).
And though the package comes on a 12 month contract (recently reduced from 18 months), Tiscali’s impressive 10 day cooling-off period will allow you to leave without penalty if you change your mind. While 10 days is not as generous as, say, the 30 day money-back guarantee offered by Virgin Media, it is still 10 days longer than just about all other broadband providers, and at least gives you an ample chance to test the connection out fully.
Unsuitable for serious video addicts
So what are the downsides to Tiscali's Superfast Broadband Option 1?
We don’t see many down sides for the light internet user who wants fast broadband speeds at a low price.
Sure, the 5GB limit on monthly downloads would make it unsuitable for streaming video/gaming addicts, but that is easily compensated by an extra £2 per month on Tiscali’s Super Fast Broadband Option 2, or indeed simply paying for more usage (at an cheap-as-chips 30p per extra GB) as you need it.
No competition
Overall, Tiscali Super Fast Broadband Option I screams past its competition. Its nearest competitors, Pipex Mini, BT Broadband Option 1 or UK Online Lite will cost you more than a few quid extra per month and give you very little extras to justify the difference in price. Not to mention you will probably have to pay set-up fees and/or buy your own wireless router, which makes most of the competition’s broadband offerings a false economy over the long run.
A little more detail
Broadband
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Special Note.. |
Any good? |
| Package Name: |
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Up to 8Mb |
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| Connection Type: |
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ADSL |
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| Max Speed: |
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8Mb |
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| Usage Limit: |
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Unlimited |
Fair usage policy applies |
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| Hardware: |
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Wireless Router |
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| Anti-virus Protection: |
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No |
Email security does include anti-virus email checker. Regular Anti Virus software available from £2.50 per month |
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| Firewall: |
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No |
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| E-mail Account: |
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Yes |
Up to 10 email addresses |
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| Webspace Provided: |
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Yes |
100MB of webspace |
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| Domain Included: |
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No |
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| Backup Dialup: |
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Yes |
0844 backup dialup |
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| Consoles Supported: |
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All major consoles supported |
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Home Phone
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| Package Name: |
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Weekend Talk |
| UK Weekend Tariff: |
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Free to UK landlines |
| UK Evening Tariff: |
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1.5p per minute (same as BT) |
| UK Peak Tariff: |
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4p per minute (same as BT) |
| International Tariff: |
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Free to 10 international destinations including USA & Australia |
Payment, Installation and Contract
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| Payment Method(s): |
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Direct Debit / Credit Card |
| Activation Fee: |
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Free |
| Installation: |
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Free |
| Minimum Contract: |
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12 months |
| Line Rental: |
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BT line required |
| Support: |
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Free online support, otherwise 10p per minute support line (5p for calls from Tiscali Talk landline) |
Actual User Ratings
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At a Glance
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Bundle details: |
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Phone: Weekend calls to UK landlines |
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TV: Not included |
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Mobile: Not included |
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It is best suited for: |
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Light to medium broadband users who want a reliably fast broadband connection with free weekend (and international) calls at a rock-bottom price. |
Customer Reviews
Remember, the customer reviews below are subjective (and are not the opinions of ChooseISP.co.uk).
No name given from writes... 30/04/2008 "If you require a stable, fast connection, or play online video games, use a bit torrent client to download video music ect, or expect a reasonable level of customer service, or technical support, do not use Tiscali as throttling of p2p clients is active each day. The connection is interleaved giving latency issues (online gaming) 24/7. Yes they are cheap but I wish I had chosen a diferent ISP and would have gladly payed more for a good service level on all the fronts."
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