Student broadband - just pay for 9 months of the year rather than 12

Most broadband providers look for a 12 month contract, which isn't very convenient if you're just going to be in a student house share for 9 months of the year (typically moving in in September and out in June). However there is now an alternative as if you're living in a Virgin Media high speed fibre optic network area then they are offering up to 10Mb broadband on a nine month contract for just £21 a month (30Mb broadband is also available for £28.50 a month). It comes with unlimited downloads and no phone line is required - making it ideal for data heavy student houseshares. Installation charge of £40 applies, whereas activation (worth £20) is free if you order online. See how their deals compare with other student broadband providers using the table below:

Provider	Price per month	Speed	Download limit	Installation costs	Contract period	Annual cost*
Plusnet	£6.49	20Mbps	10GB	£25 connection free wireless router	no annual contract	£102.88
Virgin Media	£12.75 (when taken with a phone line)	10Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	9/18 months	£114
Orange	£15 (or £10 for Orange customers when taken with a phone line)	20Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	18 months	£120
O2	£13.28 (or £8.17 for O2 customers)	20Mbps	20GB	£25.53 connection free wireless router	30 days/12 months	£123.57
Plusnet	£11.49	20Mbps	60GB	£25 connection free wireless router	no annual contract	£162.88
BT	£14	20Mbps	10GB	free connection free wireless router	18 months	£147
BE	£14.08	12Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	12 months	£168.96
O2	£17.36 (or £12.25 for O2 customers)	20Mbps	unlimited	£25.53 connection free wireless router	30 days/12 months	£172.53
Virgin Media	£20 (when taken with a phone line)	20Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	9/18 months	£180
BT	£18	20Mbps	40GB	free connection free wireless router	18 months	£184.50
Virgin Media	£25 (when taken with a phone line)	50Mbps (the fastest in the UK!)	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	9/18 months	£205
BE	£18.26	24Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	3/12 months	£219.12
BT	£28	20Mbps	unlimited	free connection free wireless router	18 months	£312

*Annual cost includes 12 months subscription, installation, hardware costs and current offers. All prices stated include VAT. We cannot guarantee that information stated on this site is correct as broadband providers may alter their deals. Click through to each provider using the links above to confirm their latest offer. Or click here to add Universitiesnet to your bookmarks enabling you to check out the latest deals another time.

Apart from Virgin Media's offer you typically still need to have a landline (which again carries a 12 month contract) in order to get broadband in your student house, therefore a good alternative is to get mobile USB dongle broadband which you can take with you wherever you live, for dongle broadband UK Broadband Guide features a comparison of all the mobile phone networks offering mobile broadband. You can even get a free laptop with a mobile broadband deal from just £25 per month, perfect if you need to get a laptop for uni anyway and that will enable you to work/check Facebook from anywhere!