The concept of free broadband was pioneered by TalkTalk with its 'free broadband for all' package in 2006. Many other broadband providers have now followed suit with their own free broadband or low cost broadband packages.

Whilst the broadband may be 'free', it does need to be purchased as part of a package from the broadband provider - for example, with a home phone or digital TV service.

Simplifydigital's top ten things to look out for when considering a free broadband deal

1. The great free broadband deals that are advertised may not be available due to a lack of availability in your area. Use our broadband postcode checker above to find out what's available.

2. Don't be seduced by headline cheap broadband and free broadband deals that don't deliver your broadband requirements and lock you into a long term contract with your broadband ISP.

3. The broadband speed advertised by your ISP may not be the broadband speed that you actually receive. Tell us your postcode and we'll give you an estimate of your likely broadband speed.

4. Watch out for big hikes in the price you pay for your broadband deal after the end of the introductory broadband deal period.

5. Advertised broadband deals may not apply for existing broadband customers.

6. The cost of line rental may not be included in the headline broadband deal price. We always show you the cost of the line rental in our broadband comparisons.

7. There may be excess charges with your free broadband package for exceeding your internet usage allowance.

8. Watch out for premium rate charges for making technical help calls to your broadband provider's helpline number.
One phone call to the AOL Broadband helpdesk could cost a lot more than you think. Broadband providers call centres offer a useful point of contact if we are in need of rescue with our broadband. But some calls are charged at national rate and others at local rate. AOL Broadband charge calls to their helpline at national rate as do Be Broadband and Sky Broadband. BT Broadband and Virgin Media Broadband both charge at the local call rate.

9. Don't pay more than you have to for your broadband services. The cheapest deals can often be found by bundling free broadband with your digital TV or home phone.

10. Bear in mind that a mobile broadband service may offer a better solution than the home broadband alternative if you use your laptop away from home.

Free broadband sounds great but as we all know you don't always get something for nothing. Free broadband is normally offered by broadband providers with other bundled services such as home phone and digital TV.

If you are currently paying for your broadband, home phone and digital TV separately and you are with a different provider for each service, you could actually save money if you bundle all your services together. If you save on your digital TV, home phone and get free broadband, it may work out cheaper for you overall.

Don't forget you still need to consider BT landline rental at around £11 - £12 a month and any other additional charges your broadband provider may include - this could be a fee for a home broadband wireless router for example.

Sky Broadband offers free broadband with Sky Talk home phone - providing you also subscribe to one of its digital TV packages. With up to 2Mbps download speed and a 2GB usage allowance, it might not be the best broadband deal for everyone, but for normal internet use it would be fine. Of course the best thing is that as well as a decent broadband connection you also enjoy Sky Digital's TV channels. For the Sky Talk home phone service you will need to add Sky Talk line rental for £11 per month or pay your line rental to BT.

The 2GB usage allowance with Sky's free broadband offer may be a problem to broadband users who want to use their broadband package to download movies or large files onto their PC or laptop.

With this is mind it shows that even the best sounding free broadband or cheap broadband deals have limitations that may not suit everyone.