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IF YOU have had the same internet broadband connection for 12 months, then switching now could save you up to £200 a year. The supply of broadband has become so fiercely competitive, with new entrants coming into the market regularly, that providers are under pressure to make their deals cheaper than their rivals.
Recently, Wanadoo slashed its introductory rate for broadband to £14.99 a month for the first six months and £17.99 thereafter for a connection speed of eight megabits per second (mb) with a maximum download of two gigabytes (gb) of e-mails, music and videos.
Switching between broadband providers is relatively easy, with most sending you a modem for free when you sign up. You must tell your existing provider that you want to switch, and they will send you a special 'migration authorisation' code.
The old provider should also give your new service details of the transfer within five working days, although the whole process will probably take two weeks from start to finish.
But there could be hidden charges if you exceed your monthly download limit, or if you want to take your internet connection with you when you move house. Helplines will often also be on premium rate numbers. Just as you would do if you swopped phonelines, figure out how often you use the internet and what you use it for. Most providers offer services geared towards low, medium and high users.
Those using the internet for about an hour a day and hardly ever downloading music are low users, while anyone using the web for more than three hours a day and downloading lots of music or videos and playing games online is classed as a high user.
Just three years ago, the average cost of broadband was £27 a month for a speed of 512 kilobytes a second (ten times faster than a dial-up connection), while today, double that speed at 1mb should cost you no more than around £18.
Toucan has a monthly rate of £14.99, which includes free weekend phone calls and unlimited downloads. Tiscali also has unlimited downloads for £14.99. BT Yahoo's cheapest option is £17.99 a month for a 2mb connection and 2 gb download limit. For medium users, Tiscali has a £17.99 connection as does Madasafish, which will give the first six months at £11.99 a month for customers who are switching.
BT has a 2 mb connection for 6 gb for £22.99 a month. Wanadoo's connection is best for internet users who do not download much, but need the web for online gaming or for making phone (Voice Over Internet Protocol) or webcam calls.
For most users, 2mb will be a fast enough connection, so heavy users should look for unlimited downloads. One of the best providers that offer this is Tiscali from £17.99 a month.
Karen Darby, chief executive of comparison website SimplySwitch. com, says: 'There are considerable savings to be made by switching your broadband provider as prices have tumbled.
AMANDA WALKER uses the internet to call friends and family in Australia, as well as surfing the web for holidays and news. The 29-year-old executive assistant shares a house in Tooting Bec, South London, with three other friends her age.They have all got laptops and like to use the internet, too.
Because of this Amanda signed them up to Wanadoo's 2mb connection for £17.99 a month, which also gives them free wireless connection - so everyone in the house can use the internet from their own rooms at the same time.
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