5 of the best broadband and TV deals right now

Whether it's the cost of food, rent, health insurance or streaming services, everything still seems to be going up in price. And broadband and TV services are no different.

You've probably already received the dreaded email or letter from your provider notifying you of yet ANOTHER price hike. But in case you've missed it (or have been ignoring it!) from April, many of the main broadband and TV providers are upping their prices yet again for their existing customers, some of which will be well in excess of the rate of inflation.

That's because every April, Eir, Three and Vodafone all implement "annual price adjustments".

Originally the "price adjustment" was based on the annual rate of inflation plus an additional 3% each April. So if inflation for the preceding year was 2%, customers would see a 5% hike in their bills. However Eir and Vodafone have now reverted to fixed annual increases.

For example Vodafone’s broadband plans will increase by a flat €3.50 a month each April going forward while its broadband and TV plans will go up by €4.50 each year. Eir's broadband plans will go up by between €4 and €6 a month. 

And although Sky doesn't officially copy this "annual adjustment" practice, it has hiked its prices for the past three Aprils in a row.  

However you can beat the price hikes by switching to a new provider on bonkers.ie and saving yourself hundreds of euro.

Want to save money? Here are some of the best broadband and TV deals for new customers right now. 

Digiweb

You don't have to go big to save. Some of the smaller, indigenous suppliers offer great value such as Dundalk-based Digiweb.

For €34.95 a month for the first six months you can get unlimited, 500Mbps pure fibre broadband. The price does increase to €49.95 after the first six months, and levels off at €54.95 a month after a year of the deal, but that is still good value, especially over the longer term.

There is also currently a one-off €24.95 activation fee.

But if you've got a need for BIG speed then depending on your location you can get gigabit broadband with Digiweb (so that's 1,000Mbps!) for just €37.95 a month for the first year and then €49.95 after that with a €29.95 activation fee. 

One downside is that unlike all the other providers on this list, Digiweb doesn't offer a TV service so you must either get this separately from the likes of Sky, sign up to Saorview, or make do with streaming services instead.

Digiweb is often commended for its good customer service and personal touch - something lacking with a lot of telecommunications providers these days. So if this is something you value, then it's definitely worth a look.

Eir

Eir has some of the best value broadband deals for new customers right now. 

It's offering 500Mbps unlimited, pure fibre broadband for just €34.99 a month for the first year. There is currently no sign-up fee and for a limited time Eir is also offering new customers €50 cashback, which will be credited to your account by the second bill. This makes the offer really good value over the first year.      

Admittedly the price does rise to a fairly hefty €75.99 a month after the first year is up. And you'll be hit with an automatic price hike each April too of the rate of inflation plus an additional 3%. But you can always switch again after the first year or so.  

But if you don't want to switch so soon, you can commit to a 24-month contract for €39.99 a month over the two years instead.

Whether you can get pure fibre broadband will depend on your location. If your home isn't connected to pure fibre yet then you should be able to get Eir's 100Mbps part-fibre broadband for the same price.

You can also add a TV package, which comes with Amazon Prime Video for free, for just an extra €14.99 a month for the first year i.e. €49.99 a month in total.  

Pure Telecom

Another Irish provider that offers good value is Pure Telecom. 

For just €35 a month for the entire first year you can get unlimited 500Mbps pure fibre broadband. After this the price rises to a respectable €55 a month. And there is no sign-up fee. 

But if you want something even faster, you can get gigabit broadband for just €40 a month for the entire first year, rising to €70 a month after that.

If you're not in an area that has access to pure fibre broadband you can avail of Pure's part-fibre broadband that comes with speeds of up to 100Mbps instead. 

You can also add a TV service (Pure TV) for €10 extra a month that comes with all the main Irish channels as well as some of the most popular apps like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video pre-installled.  

Virgin Media

Virgin Media is also offering 500Mbps unlimited broadband for just €35 a month for an entire year. It's also offering new customers €65 credit off their first bill.  

However there is a €30 activation fee at present.  

After the first year is up the price rises to €70 a month. But like Eir you can agree to a two-year contract for €40 a month instead. Signing up to a two-year deal offers better value over the longer-term and also insulates you from any near-term price hikes.    

Virgin offers high-speed broadband and TV over a large geographical area, thanks to its own infrastructure and its new deal with SIRO, which allows Virgin to offer its services to even more customers, particularly those in smaller cities.

For an extra €15 a month i.e. €50 a month for the first year, you can add a TV package that comes with over 100 TV channels. After the first year is up the price goes up to €104 a month.

Vodafone 

Vodafone also has some great value broadband and TV deals for new customers right now. 

It's offering unlimited 500Mbps pure fibre broadband for just €35 a month for the first six months with free activation.

After the first six months are up, the price rises to just €40 a month and then stays there (subject to a similar annual price hike each April as with Eir). Despite this, if inflation were to average around 2% to 3% a year over the coming years, even after six or seven years you'd still only be paying around €54 or €55 a month for your broadband which is way cheaper than all the other providers are offering even as of today. So Vodafone is a great option for those who want longer-term value with the same provider.       

You can also avail of Vodafone's Super Wi-Fi extenders to increase the reach of your signal throughout your home. While most standard Wi-Fi extenders come with an upfront hardware cost, Vodafone's Super Wi-Fi is sold as an add-on to your broadband that you can cancel anytime and costs just €5 per month. 

You can also add a TV package. Vodafone TV PLAY is Vodafone's new set-top box which it calls a 'premium entertainment hub'. The TV box has some cool features like 4K ultra HD picture quality, an integrated Bang and Olufsen surround sound system, and built-in Bluetooth and Chromecast for easy streaming from your phone. 

Broadband and TV is €65 a month for the first six month then €70 a month thereafter (subject to an annual price hike) which is way cheaper than other providers right now.  

Comparison of providers for standard broadband

*annual price adjustment each April

Switching saves money

Although all the main providers are increasing their prices each year for their existing customers, the deals they're offering new customers have remained relatively steady in price.

So there really is a lot of value to be had by switching. More so than ever. And with some providers you can switch to a 24-month discounted contract so the savings are even greater.

While we've mainly focussed on entry-level 500Mbps broadband in this article, you can now get speeds of up to 2Gbps depending on the provider and your location. And in the coming weeks 5Gbps speeds will be available. So do a full comparison to see all the options available to you.

The good news is that you can easily compare the major broadband and TV suppliers on bonkers.ie. Just type in your address or eircode and we'll tell you all the deals and speeds available at your specific location. 

Want to read more?

We have a number of interesting reads if you’re interested in learning more about the broadband market in Ireland today:

• If you want to learn more about Vodafone and ESB’s partnership in SIRO, you can read our guide here. 
• Have a burning question about your broadband connection or network? Here’s 9 common broadband questions answered.
• Confused by all of the technical terms and acronyms?! Here’s our handy guide on the 21 common broadband terms explained.