My first experience with using broadband, at my previous home, was pretty straightforward.  I just signed up for the cheapest standalone service, plugged in the modem and started work.  The speed was clearly faster than when I had been using a dialup service from home, and I found downloads came through much quicker.  That was when I lived in a big city, where the speeds are pretty good for all the companies. When I moved to the coast, however, I discovered that life could be much more complicated. For a start we were looking for an inclusive package of phone calls, broadband and TV, so comparing all the deals and prices was not exactly easy.  Secondly, the broadband speeds in the region are generally slower - often less than 1mB.  The big companies seem to have more to offer in these situations, as they can provide a slightly improved speed for your connection.  The best thing is to go online and find a website where you can carry out a broadband speed test for your chosen provider before you sign up.