Direct Save has been a broadband provider since 1999 offering low-cost broadband deals and positioning itself as a budget choice, offering a dependable and reliable service to customers.
Direct Save Telecom is a British-owned independent provider of broadband and telephone services based in Watford. It launched in 1999 offering low-cost broadband deals, and has retained its original focus on delivering value for money.
Direct Save has established working relationships with tier one carriers (telecommunications organisations with large coverage areas and extensive infrastructure), including BT Wholesale and TalkTalk Business. As Direct Save Telecom broadband reviews often attest, the company has carved out a niche for itself as an affordable ISP for business users and families alike.
Direct Save Telecom prides itself on delivering low cost broadband to its customers, backed up with reliable customer service and UK-based technical support. Direct Save broadband reviews tend to reflect its position in the market as a no-frills budget broadband provider.
Direct Save Telecom offers a 12-month agreement on its Contract Internet broadband package, costing £18.95 as of December 2020. An average speed of 11Mbps includes totally unlimited data usage, no line rental charges and a free wireless router (though postage costs £9.95).
The company also offers free Loyalty Discount Club membership for new customers. There are online savings of up to 25 per cent on famous shopping brands, travel and accommodation, insurance and car rental and other sectors. These are often acknowledged in Direct Save Telecom broadband reviews.
The company’s no-contract broadband package provides speeds of up to 35Mbps if you opt for its No Contract Fibre deal. The setup cost is only £24.95, and the package includes a free wireless router (though postage is levied on top), unlimited data usage and the support of its UK-based customer service and broadband support teams.
You can also add one of three call plans. Option 1 is for pay-per-use calls, Option 2 is for free evenings and weekend calls (costing £3) and Option 3 for free anytime calls (a £5 upgrade). The same discount membership scheme outlined above is also offered.
Direct Save Telecom offers an unlimited superfast fibre broadband deal from £24.95 per month with no line rental charge, free setup and a free wireless router that costs £9.95 delivered. Support and incentives are the same as above, and are frequently noted in Direct Save broadband reviews.
Direct Save’s unlimited Fast Fibre broadband package comes with a free wireless router and free discount membership, while achievable download speeds include 25, 40, 80, 220 and 300Mbps connections.
All Direct Save Telecom’s business broadband products are subject to a minimum 24-month agreement, though you can change to a different plan by paying a £9.95 fee. Achievable line speeds depend on both line quality and the distance between your premises and the nearest exchange. Additional data usage charges are £1 per 1GB.
Direct Save Telecom offers an entry-level broadband deal with an average speed of 11Mbps, distributed across Openreach’s copper telephone infrastructure rather than along fibre cabling. Speeds can fluctuate at peak times, and may be insufficient for homes with high data usage requirements or a large number of web-enabled devices. Upgrading to a fibre broadband package would benefit these households, with speeds averaging 35Mbps for standard fibre and 63Mbps for superfast services.
The maximum download and upload speeds for Direct Save Telecom’s packages stand at:
Broadband: 24Mbps down, 1Mbps up
Standard fibre: 40Mbps down, 9Mbps up
Superfast fibre: 80Mbps, 17Mbps up.
Depending on connectivity at your chosen home or place of work, Direct Save Telecom is able to offer packages with download speeds of up to 300Mbps in buildings served by Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) cabling. However, this is only presently available at a few locations across the country.
Broadband customers receive a free wireless router as part of their package – typically the TP-LINK TD-W8951ND. This router can support speeds of up to 150Mbps, offering one-touch wireless security. The lucky few with line speeds able to support a 300Mbps FTTP package receive an upgraded TP-LINK TD-W896ON router. This lets you create a virtual guest network, eliminating the need to share WiFi passwords with visitors or guests.
There are no fees for phone line activation as part of Direct Save’s Telecom installation process, while new line installations may be offered at a reduced rate. An existing telephone line shouldn’t take longer than two working days to reactivate.
While rolling no-contract deals incur a one-off £24.95 setup fee, fixed-term contracts have no installation costs attached. Signing up is also a simple process, and accounts are generally activated within 14 to 18 days. Direct Save Telecom claims broadband will be activated on the same day at 70 per cent of local exchanges, with others taking around five to ten days to configure.
Direct Save Telecom has a UK-based customer service team available from 8am to 8pm during the week, and from 9am to 5pm at weekends. Customers can also get in touch via an email service which promises a response by phone or email within 24 working hours.
Providing you’re not moving house to an area with a different STD as you switch to Direct Save Telecom, your existing landline number can be ported across.
The company’s broadband and fibre broadband packages have no set-up fee, though a one-month rolling contract incurs a £24.95 fee. It also costs just under £10 to get a wireless router delivered.
This ISP does not perform any sort of credit check when new customers sign up.
Direct Save Telecom offers monthly, no-commitment broadband contracts, though a small initial fee is incurred as part of this service.