The initial outlay for the UK communications infrastructure to handle 100Mbps of superfast broadband could cost up to £16billion. The report was conducted by the Broadband Stakeholder Group and Ofcom Consumer Panel in advance of their conference organised to investigate ways to start the upgrade.

This does seems expensive, but the Group claim productivity will grow due to task speed increasing and the initial outlay will soon pay for itself. The upgrade will also see more people working from home saving on travel time and more flexible hours, though the Group also warned that if the upgrade didn’t start within the next five years the UK could lose out. The benefits will only be truly felt when the new high speed network infastructure has been installed in most of Britain’s businesses and homes.

Head of the Broadband Stakeholder Group, Antony Walker, said -

‘The long-term benefits to the UK associated with the wide-scale deployment could outweigh the cost of initial outlay. It’s tempting to jump in feet-first, but it matters more to do this right than to do it quickly’

> > click here to see the UK’s top ten broadband providers

There has never been a better time to switch broadband providers, with PlusNet now offering half price line rental on all their broadband bundles for the first 3 months.

There are 4 different packages available to suit your lifestyle, so whether you use the internet for your job or to just occasionally surf the web, Plusnet has a package tailor made for you.

Option 1 is now £4.99 for the first 3 months instead of £9.99. This package allows 1GB of download usage at speeds up to 8MB.

Option 2 is now £7.49 for the first 3 months instead of £14.99. This package allows 30GB of daytime download usage at speeds up to 8MB

Option 3 is now £9.99 for the first 3 months instead of £19.99. This package allows 30GB of daytime download usage at speeds up to 8MB

Pro Option is now £9.99 for the first 3 months instead of £19.99. This package allows 15GB of daytime download usage at speeds up to 8MB. This service also allows gaming traffic priority with low latency, great for people who take their online gaming seriously.

All four of these packages come with free overnight download usage from 12-8am, plus free broadband firewall and spam/virus protection. To receive one of these great offers simply choose a package and order a home phone line for £9.99 a month, which also comes free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines.

> > click here to order with Plusnet now

> > click here to check broadband availability in your area

If you like freedom of choice when it comes to calls, movies and downloads, then this Virgin Media bundle could be the one for you. For a combined cost of only £49 a month you will receive the 3 biggest Virgin Media promotions available for just one price.

You will receive unlimited downloads with speeds of up to 20MB, plus free virus protection, wireless router and modem. You will also receive up to 145 TV channels, over 500 films to choose from and the BBC’s latest iPlayer, only available with Virgin Media. Plus you can make unlimited landline calls whenever you like, with the cost of the phone line also included in the bundle price.

This all in one XL ‘super bundle’ is perfectly priced for heavy multimedia usage. If you add up your total outgoings for TV, internet and phone, you may find this bundle’s price is lower than your current bills added together. Even more reason to choice a Virgin Media package today…

The £9 a month Virgin Media Bundle package now ends on June 24th, giving you more time to order you broadband, TV and phone.This bundle offers up to 2Mb broadband, TV 40 channels and access to over 500 films. Plus you can now use the BBC iPlayer on your TV, only with Virgin Media. Along with all this you also receive unlimited evening and weekend calls in the UK with Virgin Phone.

All you need to do to receive this fantastic offer is order a Virgin Phone for £11 a month by June 24th and you can receive this total media package for only £9 – get it while you can!

 > > click here to order the £9 a month Virgin Media bundle package

> > click here to see othe Virgin Media bundle packages

Virgin Media TV has agreed on a partnership with the BBC to launch their iPlayer, making its 3.5 TV customers the first in the UK to receive the service. Virgin Media will now be able to watch full screen pictures on their television set without downloading. Customers will also be able to catch up on their favourite BBC programmes on demand by using the red button on their remote controls

The BBC iPlayer will allow Virgin Media viewers the option to catch-up on over 350 hours of TV programmes from the week at no extra cost. Malcolm Wall, CEO of Content at Virgin Media, said:

“We’re delighted to be the first TV platform in the UK to offer our customers BBC iPlayer as part of our on-demand service. The enormous success of iPlayer online has demonstrated the desire TV viewers have for viewing quality programmes at a time that suits them, and now it’s available from the comfort of the living room. Virgin Media is proud to be working with the BBC to continue to lead this revolution in TV viewing.”

> > click here to order Virgin Media TV

> > click here to compare the best digital broadband packages

Virgin Media bundles  hasve hit their lowest price ever – you can now receive internet, TV and home phone for as little as £9 a month!

Offering a 2Mb broadband with unlimited downloads and over 40 TV channels with access to 500 films, this Virgin Media bundle is an absolute bargain. Plus, when ordering your phone line for £11 a month you also receive unlimited evening and weekend calls in the UK with Virgin Phone.

So for a combined fee of just £20 a month, you will receive a total multimedia package for your home. Better move fast though, as this offer is only available until June 12th – so get your skates on!

> > click here to order this Virgin Media package today

> > click here to see other Virgin Media packages

Virgin Media has dropped their bundle package to its lowest price ever. You can now receive 4MB broadband with an unlimited download limit, a free modem, plus a free wireless router. You will also receive 40 digital TV channels, plus access to 500 films using the Virgin On Demand digital service. Then to add a cherry to the cake, you will also receive unlimited UK weekend landline calls.

There’s no need for a BT phone line either. All you need to do to receive this amazing bundle is to take a Virgin Phone line for the new low price of £11 a month, and Robert’s your Father’s brother…

its a deal, its a steal, its sale of the century!

> > click here to order this Virgin Media package

> > click here to check out other Virgin Media packages

Setanta Sports TV is offering up a mouth watering summer special this month when you subscribe online. When ordering a Setanta multibox you will now be able to enjoy your favourite sports in another room for FREE for the first 3 months (£2.99 thereafter).

A great summer of sport is ahead on Setanta, with exclusive rights to the Indian Premier League Cricket and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Setanta Sports will also be serving up boxing, horse racing and rugby throughout the summer. Plus with live Barclays Premiership football and England friendlies and World Cup Qualifiers, would you really want to miss out on any of the coming season’s action?

Scottish communication company Thus, the owners of Demon Broadband, are on the brink of a massive takeover bid from Cable & Wireless.

Thus, which grew out of the telecoms operations of Scottish Power, is currently valued at around £250 million. Cable & Wireless revealed to investors that it had made an approach to the board of Thus, whose shares then shot up by 25 per cent.

In a statement to shareholders, the company said:

“Thus is confident in its future as an independent group, which offers an attractive combination of strong growth and future cash flow generation. The Board remains focused on delivering maximum value for shareholders and will evaluate any proposal from any third party against the value that the company can deliver as an independent group.”

Cable & Wireless are the 2nd biggest telecoms provider in the UK behind British Telecom, and they will continue to prosper having just landed a £100million contract with supermarket chain Tesco.