Broadband bonanza continues

NEWS Eclipse Internet has joined the ranks of UK internet service providers cutting the price of their broadband offerings in early 2003. The ISP has announced that a consumer can save up to £50 on the cost of getting broadband by buying an ADSL "starter pack". The company is also making substantial cuts in the prices of both its range of ADSL hardware and its broadband connection fee. Both offers will run until 31 March 2003. An Eclipse Internet broadband starter pack, made up of an Alcatel Speedtouch 330 USB modem, two microfilters and connection fee, will now cost £75. Previously, such a package would have cost £125. Customers who choose to buy a different broadband product will also benefit, as Eclipse Internet halves its broadband connection fees to £25 - passing on a wholesale saving announced by BT late last year. Several other ISPs have already announced that they too are cutting their connection fees to £25, with Demon deciding to slash them completely for three months. Eclipse Internet says, though, that it is the first ISP to also cut hardware prices, by slashing at least 40 per cent off the cost of two routers - the Alcatel 510v4 and the Alcatel 530, which will cost £127 and £107 respectively. Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK