Getting a decent deal from your broadband provider may not seem like a difficult task. However, when you have a VoIP office phone system in your business, then it gets complicated. The benefits of a VoIP phone system are obvious to anyone and we all know that broadband internet makes your office phone system so much better.

As it stands it is quite hard getting cheap broadband at the moment, especially if you are a business. The citizen’s advice bureau states the average household ends up paying an extra £113 in broadband fees. Think how this could reflect on overheads costs for your small business, especially if it is reliant on internet access and you are just starting out? If you have a VoIP phone service provider then it’s going to increase your overheads a lot and throw your strictly organised budget out of kilter.
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So how do you go about making a decision on which broadband internet provider to choose when you know the big brands are going to hike up their prices? Well, all is not lost.

4 Recent Developments That Affect VoIP Phone Service Providers

1) Increased Business Rates

After the government’s increase in business rates from April last year, the telecoms giant BT advised it would mean higher broadband prices. In an obvious attempt to pass the costs onto the customers. It’s expected to rise from £165M to a staggering £743m.

2) Small business, big prices.

It’s reported that broadband investors will pay an extra £2m due to the increase. That’s a huge pinch from the budgets of small businesses struggling to stay afloat. There was speculation that smaller businesses will feel the benefit due to overpayments in recent years and a drop in charges. However, when the broadband provider market is dominated by one huge corporation like BT, it can make competing difficult. A small business on a tight budget needs to try and make the best deal that works for them.

3) Monopoly. Do not pass go!

The total monopoly BT has on the entire industry is shocking. So much so that the company Openreach (which controls the entire UK broadband network) has even caused concern in Parliament. A recent request was made for the annexation of Openreach being run from standard everyday BT business.

4) Now, Good News

Thanks to new Ofcom guidance, small businesses can get a better deal with broadband providers. Hopefully, your small business won’t feel the pinch of increased business rates. There’s also the possibility of compensation in areas where providers are neglecting their duties. It all part of a bigger Ofcom plan for better service. This puts the power back into the underdog’s favour…well, a bit anyway. So, it’s not entirely impossible to negotiate a fair price for your business through helping you cut down the overheads. You just need to know what your business model needs and which provider has the bests offers.

However, it is fully understandable if you don’t want the added burden of looking into technical specifications, shopping around and checking multiple prices against each other etc. You probably don’t have enough time on your hands. You have a business to run right?

So look into getting a free digital health check, it’s much easier.
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