Introduction to Post Office
It's not only about stamps and envelopes anymore - your local
Post Office can also offer you a competitive home phone and
broadband package.
You can take up either a standalone home phone or broadband
service or you can opt for bundling, which is often the cheaper
option.
Post Office services
Those who wish to get a Post Office broadband and home phone
deal can note that there is no connection fee and while there is no
time agreement to consider for home phone services, the broadband
service is based on a 12 month contract.
Also, your monthly bundle bill will cover line rental, broadband
as well as evening calls to UK landlines, weekend calls to UK
landlines and mobiles as well as weekend calls to the Post Office's
top 20 international destinations, if you choose the Evening and
Weekend calls option.
If you're only after a broadband package then the Post Office
has two options for you.
Broadband Standard offers 5GB monthly download allowance, 5
email addresses, 50MB of web space, free security against viruses
and spam and a free Netgear modem.
There is no connection fee and the contract length is only 12
months.
Broadband Extra includes all of the above but comes with a
monthly unlimited download allowance. There is no connection fee
and the contract length is also a minimum of 12 months.
Why it may not be right for you
If you want digital TV, you might want to look elsewhere. Post
Office currently only offers phone and broadband services as part
of its packages. If you're also looking for a subscription-based
digital TV service, you should consider another provider, such as
Sky or Virgin Media.
If you're a heavy internet user, Post Office's speeds might be
too slow for you. In addition, depending on where you live, the
actual speed you get may be significantly slower.
Broadband speed depends on a number of factors, including the
quality of the wiring and the distance from your local phone
exchange. The older the wiring and the greater the distance, the
slower the speed. If you are a heavy broadband user you should look
at providers that offer faster speeds and more download allowance
for relatively the same price per month such as O2, Be or AOL.
Post Office history
Post Office added another service to its business in January
2005 by launching its range of Home Phone packages.
With over 14,300 local branches and a 'walk in' customer base of
24m, Home Phone accumulated 100,000 customers within 6 months since
launching the service. By October 2007 it had over 400,000 Home
Phone customers.
In late October 2007, operating from BT's infrastructure, Post
Office launched its broadband service which enabled current and new
Post Office customers to bundle their home services.