BT offers speedier broadband

BT has cranked up the speed of all its broadband services at no extra cost to existing customers.

From 17 Feb, BT Broadband at £24.99 and BT Yahoo at £26.99 will both rise from 512Kbps connections to 2Mbps. Both have a 15GB monthly usage limit.

On 24 March, the £17.99 a month Broadband Basic service will double to 1Mbps – it has a 1GB storage limit - and the £29.99 a month BT Yahoo service will double to 2Mbps and limit you to 30GB of storage a month. All have a free modem and connection.

Ian Livingston, chief executive at BT Retail, said: “BT is about giving value for money. Today we are offering customers up to four times the broadband speed without charging a penny more. It will allow customers to get even more from their broadband services for entertainment, education or communication.”

A BT spokesman added: "It's like swapping your Mondeo for a Porsche on the information superhighway - for no extra cost."

Earlier this week, AOL announced it will double the speeds of all its broadband services on Valentine’s Day. It will now offer a 1Mbps connection at £24.99 a month and a 2Mbps service for £29.99 a month, but does not limit the amount you can download each month.

Jonathan Lambeth, director of communications at AOL UK, said: “We think that with faster speeds and a growing array of video and music content, usage limits will become even more of an anachronism and perceived very negatively by consumers. Let the sports car have the fuel we say.”