Here’s some good news for BT customers: the provider is boosting broadband speeds, data allowance and cloud storage this autumn, and all for free.
The changes will affect a huge number of people.
More than one million people will get faster broadband, all three million BT customers with cloud storage will have their allowance doubled, while one million broadband customers will see their monthly usage cap increased.
Not only that, BT is also slashing costs for those customers who only have a landline.
The upgrades are completely free, and better still, BT customers don’t have to do anything in order to receive them.
So how do find out if you’re one of the lucky ones? And when will the changes take effect? Read on, and all will be revealed.
What’s happening?
To be eligible for the increase in broadband speed, you’ll have to be a BT fibre customer with the Infinity 1 package, and to have ordered your package before 28th September 2017.
Your line will also need to support speeds in excess of 55Mbps.
If that’s you, congratulations! Your maximum speed will increase to 76Mbps.
If you have standard BT broadband, then you won’t get any speed increase, we’re afraid.
BT customers with cloud storage will see their allowance doubled. So those with the Infinity 2 package will see their storage jump from 500GB to 1TB (1,000GB).
Which is plenty of room for photos, films, music, and whatever else you want to back up.
If you’re a BT broadband customer with a monthly usage cap, your allowance will increase.
That means you can download and stream more films and music without worrying about going over your limit.
Most people will struggle to use their allowance anyway, but if you’re streaming in 4K, you can soon eat through it.
The 12GB allowance is going up to 15GB, 25GB to 30GB, and 40GB to 45GB.
What about landline costs?
In a separate move, BT is slashing the cost of only having a landline, with no broadband. This follows a review by telecoms operator Ofcom.
BT will reduce the cost of its monthly line rental by £7. It will cost £11.99 a month, instead of £18.99. This will be a saving of £84 a year for up to one million customers.
When is it happening?
The upgrades started rolling out in September. BT hopes to have finished by early November.
You’ll have to wait a little longer for cheaper line rental though. The new lower price won’t come into effect until April 2018.
Will I notice any difference in my service?
According to BT, while your broadband speed is being increased, you may experience two brief outages of about a minute, during which time you won’t be able to get online.
You may also see some fluctuations in speed afterwards.
But don’t worry, everything should stabilise within 10 days, after which, you can enjoy the new speeds uninterrupted.
How do I check if I’m eligible?
BT will email you letting you know if you’re in line for an increase in broadband speed. It’s still in the process of writing to customers, so if you haven’t been emailed yet, it might be on its way.
It might also be worth checking your spam folder (or ‘Promotions’ tab in Gmail) to see if it’s ended up unread in there.
If you don’t like the idea of waiting around to see if BT will email you, you can check online if you’re eligible for an upgrade.
Head to BT’s site, and enter your details. This will show you which broadband packages are available in your area.
If your line can support speeds in excess of 55Mbps, it should be getting upgraded.
Want to see how much cloud storage you now have? All customers with cloud storage should have theirs doubled, so as long as you have it in the first place, you should benefit from the change.
Then just log into your BT account to see your allowance.
To check if your monthly data allowance has increased, again, log in to your BT account.
Will I have to pay any extra?
No. The changes are all completely free, as technically your package will not change. Think of it as BT’s way of rewarding customer loyalty.
Of course, as with any internet service provider, there’s no guarantee it won’t put prices up in the future. But for the moment, it’s a nice extra.
What if I have any questions about the changes?
If you’re in any doubt as to how the changes will affect you, log into your BT account. Or you can contact BT’s customer services team.
