BT cuts start-up cost of no-frills broadband

NEWS By Graeme Wearden Customers who sign up for BT's "no-frills" broadband package in the next four weeks will save £30 in start-up costs. The telco announced this week that any customer subscribing to BT Broadband before 20 September will only have to pay half the usual activation fee of £60. This move follows similar cut-price activation offers from other ISPs, including BTopenworld, which earlier this year cut its broadband activation charge from £65 to nothing for a limited period. Emma Sanderson, head of BT Broadband, said in a statement: "We're sure that this offer will provide customers with yet another good reason to choose BT Broadband." Customers will also need an ADSL modem. This costs £80 from BT, but users can also supply their own hardware. BT Broadband is BT's attempt to win a large percentage of the UK's broadband user base by offering a cut-down service that doesn't include extras such as web space or an email service. It has been available for some months, but a full-scale launch will take place in September. At £27 per month, BT Broadband is cheaper than the broadband services offer by AOL, Btopenword and Freeserve, but still more expensive than products offered by smaller ISPs which include extras like email and web space. Some ISPs are concerned that BT Broadband could threaten them, claiming that BT will use its dominant position in the UK telecoms market to tempt customers away from their existing broadband service providers. Graham Wearden writes for ZDNet UK