Cable broadband deals

Independent guide to the best cable broadband packages

	Router	Provider	Setup	Monthly price	Contract	Speed(Up to)	Downloads	Extras
1	Virgin L Broadband	628 reviews	£35.00	£15.00 £20.00 after 3 months	12 months	10Mb	UNLIMITED	Enhanced performance Wireless "N" Router	Go 0800 531 6360
2	Virgin XXL 50Mb Broadband	628 reviews	£55.00	£33.00 £38.00 after 3 months	12 months	50Mb	UNLIMITED	Enhanced performance Wireless "N" Router	Go 0800 531 6360
3	Virgin XL Broadband	628 reviews	£35.00	£25.00 £30.00 after 3 months	12 months	20Mb	UNLIMITED	Enhanced performance Wireless "N" Router	Go 0800 531 6360

Currently showing the top 3 of 3 deals which match your search

What is cable broadband?

There are two ways to get fixed-line broadband at home – ADSL and cable.

Whereas ADSL comes into your home via your existing BT telephone line, cable does exactly what it says on the tin; it comes via a dedicated cable. A cable modem allows data to be sent via the cable television structure by utilising unused bandwidth on the network.

Who can get cable broadband?

Cable broadband is only available if your home can receive cable TV. It is estimated that around 50 per cent of UK homes have access to cable services, but areas which have not been ‘cabled’ are not able to take advantage of it yet. You can check if you are in a cable area by using our broadband availability checker.

Who provides cable broadband?

The UK cable infrastructure is owned and operated by Virgin Media, which bought up the UK’s previous cable company, the NTL: Telewest group. Although it might seem that having one provider would limit choice, Virgin Media’s cable broadband packages are extensive and have proven popular; it is now the second largest broadband provider (behind BT) by some margin, with close to four million subscribers.

What should I consider when choosing cable broadband?

The first issue with that decision is availability – if your area has not yet been set up for cable services, you will have to go with ADSL, or one of the other alternatives such as mobile broadband or satellite broadband.

If you are able to get cable broadband, one of the main reasons to choose it over ADSL is speed: Virgin Media's cable broadband now offers speeds of 'up to' 50Mb. By comparison, the best you’ll get on ADSL is up to 24Mb, with most connections only offering up to 8Mb (which is slowly being upgraded to 'up to' 20Mb). As always with broadband speeds, note the ‘up to’ – there is a proven gap between advertised speeds and average user experience; however, cable broadband generally gets much closer to these 'up to' speeds because of superior wiring (its fibre hybrid system don't suffer large speed drops due to distance from the telephone exchange - BT's biggest problem with its copper cables). If speed makes a huge difference to the way you use the internet, then cable broadband may be the more appropriate choice for you.

Secondly, there’s cost. Cable broadband ranges from around £14-£36 per month, compared to ADSL which starts at £5.99 per month. Set-up fees can also be higher for cable, with every package requiring a £30 set-up fee, whereas many ADSL services have no set-up fee. That said, Virgin Media often runs promotions for free set-up, or limited periods with 'free' broadband, which can offset this cost. Cable broadband will probably work out a little more expensive than ADSL, although there is a good deal of choice; you should be able to work out a package which best suits your needs within your price bracket.

Another consideration is whether you want any cable TV services, or would consider changing your phone provider. This is tied into cost, as cable broadband becomes more economical when bundled with other cable services; Virgin Media has worked hard to promote the value of its 'quadplay' proposition, which combines landline, mobile phone tariff, fixed-line broadband and television.

There are a couple of other possible negatives. Firstly, cable broadband does sometimes have speed bursts. These won’t affect general users, but might be a headache for online gamers or anyone else who relies on a constant connection speed. Also, Virgin Media is known for using 'traffic shaping' on it's slower packages (not the 50Mb deals) - this means that you may experience slower broadband speeds during peak times.

How do I get cable broadband?

If you've decided cable is for you, done a postcode check and discovered you can get cable broadband, next you’ll need to decide which package best suits you. Consider how fast you need your broadband connection to be and whether you want - or need - a television and telephone deal too. But you don't have to worry about contract length and download limits: all Virgin Media cable broadband deals are currently 'unlimited' (beware the fair usage policy) 12-month packages. Finally, look out for any special offers that might be available, as there are frequently short-term deals which can mean better value - although be careful not to be tempted into something you don’t need.

Once you’ve selected the right package, simply click through to Virgin Media's official website via our dedicated links; it is quick and easy to sign-up online. If you don’t already have a cable line to your home, an engineer will visit and install the line – which is where the set-up fee comes in. With any luck though, one visit from the engineer should have your internet, television and telephone choices set up in the one visit. Or that's the theory...