Bulldog unveils PAYG unbundled broadband

PlusNet in new offer too

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Small Biz, 4th February 2005 13:02 GMT

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Bulldog has launched a hybrid subscription-cum-PAYG broadband service which it claims will suit net users who only want to pay for the time they spend online.

Bulldog - owned by UK telco Cable & Wireless and big into local loop unbundling (LLU) - reckons the service will give the broadband market an extra boost. Not that it needs it, though with the latest figures from Ofcom showing that there are more than 6m broadband connections in the UK.

Anyhow, Bulldog Start@ctive costs £15.50 a month (inc VAT) for a 4 Meg service and includes 400 minutes online each month. Extra time online costs 2.5p a minute. It's only available in London at the moment, although the company plansto increase the number of exchanges getting its LLU treatment.

"Up until now, customers who wanted to experience the excitement of a 4 meg broadband service had to pay a substantial premium over the cost of standard broadband," said Bulldog boss Richard Greco. "Customers who aren't 'heavy' internet users will find Bulldog's time-metered service an excellent value for money."

Elsewhere, Sheffield-based ISP PlusNet is reducing the cost of its Broadband Home 2 Meg Lite service to £14.99 a month from February 11. The product currently costs £19.99 a month and includes a 2 Gig usage allowance.

But along with the price cut, PlusNet is also reducing the usage allowance to just 1Gig. Additional time online will cost home users £1.50 a Gig. ®