AOL doubles broadband speeds

A romantic AOL is to double the speeds of all its broadband services on Valentine’s Day including the launch of a 2Mbps service.

The ISP will crank up its £17.99 a month 256Kbps service to 512Kbps, its £24.99 a month 512Kbps package will rise to 1Mbps and its £29.99 a month 1Mbps service will be boosted to a 2Mbps connection.

All three services include free modem and installation. Existing customers will enjoy the new speeds at no extra cost.

Karen Thomson, chief executive at AOL UK, said: "We’re now seeing broadband usage outstripping dial-up, month on month, and with the addition of 2Mbps services, consumers will be able to take full advantage of new content and services, such as video on demand, which will become available over the next year."

AOL has also announced that its broadband services will be available in Dixons Group's 1,100 stores from 14 February. As part of the roll-out, AOL will launch a wireless home networking package with hardware manufacturer Netgear.

The ‘AOL and NETGEAR for Home Networking’ package lets you access a broadband internet connection on a computer and a range of home devices simultaneously.