- Download our Moving to the UK Guide (PDF)
With highly developed communications infrastructure, you'll have no problem taking advantage of the latest technology to keep in touch in the United Kingdom – with those back home as well as to cultivate new relationships.
The greatest difficulty comes in researching the most effective and economical package for your communication needs and then making time to have the technology installed.
Internet in the United Kingdom
Setting up broadband can be a slow and frustrating business, and dealing with several departments of the relevant broadband provider is typically necessary to organise setup. If you need immediate access to the internet during the setup process, you can reduce the inconvenience by:
- Purchasing a mobile broadband dongle on a pay-as-you-go programme, which can be bought from most mobile phone shops
- Setting up all communication accounts at once – telephone, broadband and television
Additionally, public WiFi hotspots are widely available in the UK, offering a convenient option for temporary internet access, although they often come with slower speeds and some security concerns.
ADSL
ADSL is a popular choice for UK broadband. This type of broadband uses an existing telephone line, so if your home does not have an active telephone line set up, you'll need to have this sorted before proceeding with ADSL installation through your chosen company.
Cable
First, find out whether fibre services are available in your local area. This can be done by consulting providers like Virgin Media. If the area is covered, you can sign up for fibre, which offers faster internet speeds.
The expansion of fibre broadband coverage has significantly improved internet access in the UK in the last few years, with many providers now offering faster speeds.
Useful links
Satellite television providers in the United Kingdom
BT
Before broadband can be set up, a telephone line must be installed or reactivated. BT offers several different subscriptions at various price points.
Virgin Media
The advantage of having a Virgin Media package is that the Virgin engineer will install the telephone line, broadband, and television package all in one day. They can do this as Virgin has its own phone lines, so they do not have to use those managed by BT. Virgin offers a wide range of packages to suit different requirements.
Sky
Sky supplies some of the most popular television packages in the UK. It also provides broadband and telephone line packages. Sky cannot install a telephone line, broadband, and television package in one day, as Sky uses BT telephone lines. You'll first need to have a BT telephone line installed or reactivated before the television package and broadband can be set up. Therefore, you need to set up an installation date for the BT engineer to install a phone line, followed by another installation date for the Sky engineer to install the Sky TV package.
Useful links
Postal service in the United Kingdom
Postal services in the UK are largely provided by Royal Mail. Domestic and international postage options are available at a reasonable price.
Most of the time, the mail makes it to its intended destination within the expected time frame. Other times, it can be delayed or, on rare occasions, lost. For important or high-value items, it may be best to use a private courier. There are many to choose from, including DHL and FedEx.