Sky versus Bt?

Strappedforcash

Wondered if anyone could give me their opinion on switching to SKY's bundle of TV , broadband and calls package.
We currently pay BT for all of our calls and line rental and use AOL for broadband -£9.99 p/m (but the software alone drives me mad)...also currently have Sky TV.
It looks good on paper but our main phone charges seem to be from calls to mobiles and I am struggling to find the charges for either company in this area.
Jusy wondered if anyone else has any views...Thanks! Tired of trawling websites yawn...!

macman

You don't have to use AOL's horrible software just because you have AOL as your ISP.
Bear in mind that if you switch to Sky you will only get a good rate if you are on a Sky LLU exchange, avoid Sky Connect (non-LLU service) at all costs. And once your line is LLU'd to Sky, you are stuck with them, as you can't switch without going back to BT for line rental first. And you can only get the broadband and phone services for as long as you are a Sky subscriber.
I would first look at your other LLU options:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

will-in-estoril

You could use 18185 for calls to mobiles. Quick to sign up and immediate savings.

Rufus_348

You'd almost certainly save money by switching to a Sky broadband bundle overall - even on mobile calls:

Sky charge daytime: 12.23p per min and evening: 7.34p per min for calls to mobiles (on Sky Freetime, Unlimited is 20% cheaper)
BT charge daytime: 12.50p per min and evening: 7.50p per min

The only thing with BT is you can get inclusive friends and family calls and mobiles are included so it might be worth sticking for that reason.

You could also compare the overall costs of the three services you have at the moment with Sky bundles - here: http://www.chooseisp.co.uk/broadband-providers/sky.asp - but I do think it'll be cheaper and less hassle!

Heinz

Rufus_348 wrote: »

You'd almost certainly save money by switching to a Sky broadband bundle overall - even on mobile calls:

Sky charge daytime: 12.23p per min and evening: 7.34p per min for calls to mobiles (on Sky Freetime, Unlimited is 20% cheaper)
BT charge daytime: 12.50p per min and evening: 7.50p per min

The only thing with BT is you can get inclusive friends and family calls and mobiles are included so it might be worth sticking for that reason.

I think you are confused about BT's Friends & Family. It never included calls to mobiles and, in any case, has now changed to a choice of 3 add-on packages (the discount on calls to F&F's landlines having now gone). The first is the £1.49/month Friends & Family Mobile Add-On - which takes the cost of calls to mobiles down to 7.2p/minuite at all times (still 1.2p/minute more than 18185).

The second is Friends & Family International which, for 99p/month, knocks the price of calls to 36 specific countries down to 2.5p/minute (still more costly than 18185 charges to most countries).

The third is International Freedon which, for £4.99/month gives inclusive calls to 36 popular countries and reduced rates to 138 other countries.

nu_nu

Have spent a couple of hours reading all your posts and used the links recommended but am getting more and more tied in knots. Can anyone help untie me??

I moved back from abroad 6 months ago and moved in with my elderly mother. My brother organised Talk Talk unlimited phone and wireless broadband with international calls which is working out at £24 ish a month (all included). I am about to move into rented accommodation (that has a telephone line but will need connecting) leaving my mother tied into Talk Talk (for another 12 months - no she will not use the internet!)

Thing is, will Talk Talk transfer the contract to a new number for me allowing my mother to revert to (her preferred) BT? I haven't asked them yet cos I want to explore my options first.

I need unlimited access to phone and internet all day every day as I work from home. Though I won't be doing any major downloading or playing games (as I don't know how to) I will be using Skype to give English lessons online (being technically challenged, I don't know what this means to the speed I would need). I also need to be able to make free or cheap calls to France and Belgium.

I have checked the samknows link and it says my new postcode would not have wireless. Does that mean I would need to have my ethernet cable linked up all the time.

Please help.....all advice welcomed

From an ever admiring (hope to be of use myself some day) newbie

Heinz

I'm not sure what you're reading on samknows but there's only one town in the UK with wireless internet and that's Swindon.

You will need a broadband connection (ADSL or Virgin Media cable) and, if you want wireless around your new rented accommodation, you will need a router. If you just want a fixed desktop PC, you can just get an ADSL modem (but a router can do both).

I think you're probably in for a frustrating (and/or expensive) time trying to get your Talk Talk account moved to your new place (Talk Talk should and I'm sure they could do it but I'm equally sure they won't make it easy). As for trying to get your Mother back onto BT, it should be just a question of asking for a 'return to donor' connection but, as Talk Talk are involved, I fear that won't be easy either.

Best of luck.

macman

The simple question to answer there is the wireless one. Wi-fi is only wireless between the PC/laptop and the wireless router. So no, you don't need an ethernet cable to connect as long as you have a wireless router. Samknows is talking about another system altogether in this context.
The other question is less straightforward and you need to find out first if her line has been LLU'd to TalkTalk. Is it a TT LLU-enabled exchange? (samknows will give you that info).
If it's been LLU'd, you can only take the line back to BT for 12m-there is no other option. But there could be a charge for this.

Strappedforcash

Thank you all for the information.. I will have a look at the options mentioned. Just one thing-what is LLU???
TRhanks again.

Ypaymore

Strappedforcash wrote: »

Thank you all for the information.. I will have a look at the options mentioned. Just one thing-what is LLU???
TRhanks again.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/publications/broadband/dsl_facts/LLUbackground.htm