6 of the best broadband and TV deals right now

Whether it’s the cost of food, rent, health insurance or fuel, prices continue to rise across the board — and broadband and TV are no different, unfortunately.

This April, Eir, Vodafone, and Three will all increase the price of their mobile, broadband and TV services for their existing customers, which they now automatically do every year.

And while Sky technically doesn't follow this practice, most of its customers will be hit with a price hike in April too for the fourth year in a row.  

Although the price increases vary by provider, and the type of service customers have, many households will see the cost of their broadband and TV go up by €40 to €50 a year.

But the good news is that you don’t have to put up with it. By switching to a new provider on bonkers.ie you could save yourself hundreds of euro a year.

Want to cut your bills? 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 big. Some of the smaller, indigenous providers offer great value, such as Dundalk-based Digiweb.

For €39.95 a month for the first 12 months you can get unlimited, 500Mbps pure fibre broadband. And there is also currently no sign-up fee.

After the first year, the price increases to a very competitive €49.95 a month.

One downside is that 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 12 months. And to help sweeten the deal, it's offering a €100 bill credit for a limited time too. 

There is currently no sign-up fee so 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. 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 the same price of €34.99 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 initial price, rising to €65.99 after the year is up.

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.  

Imagine Broadband 

Imagine does things a little differently.

It doesn't offer a cheap introductory price. But its prices don't shoot up after the first six months or year either. And at the moment its even freezing its prices until 2030. 

With Imagine you can get 500Mbps pure fibre broadband for €55 a month on a 12-month minimum contract with no-sign up fee. You'll also get the first 55 days free.

But as mentioned, if you stay with the provider, you'll be locking in the same price until 2030, meaning it's a great deal for those who don't like to switch too often or are looking for longer-term value.    

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 full 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 (1,000Mbps) broadband for just €40 a month for the first year, rising to €70 a month after that.

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

Virgin Media

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

With Virgin you can get 500Mbps unlimited broadband for just €40 a month for the first year. And there is no 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 an even cheaper €35 a month instead. So signing up to a two-year deal offers much better value over the medium-term and also insulates you from any near-term price hikes.    

For an extra €15 a month i.e. €55 a month for the first year, you can add a basic TV package that comes with close to 50 TV channels. After the first year is up the price rises to €95 a month. Again, if you agree to a two-year contract you can get a cheaper price of €50 a month for the two years.

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 and a €50 One4All voucher too.

After the first six months are up, the price rises to just €40 a month and then stays there (subject to an annual price hike each April which is €3.50 a month for broadband and €4.50 for broadband and TV).

Despite this, even after five or six years you'd still only be paying around €60 a month for your broadband which is cheaper than many of the other providers' follow-on prices 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 currently €60 a month for the first six months, then €65 a month thereafter (subject to an annual price hike) which is a lot cheaper than other providers right now.  

Comparison of providers for standard broadband

**price freeze until 2030

*annual price adjustment each April

Switching still saves you big money

Although some of the main providers are increasing their prices each year for their existing customers, the deals they're offering new customers have remained remarkably steady in price over the past few years.

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, meaning 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 5Gbps depending on the provider and your location. 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.