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Consumers with a dial-up connection are now almost certain to make savings by switching to broadband, irrespective of whether they pay per minute or via a monthly fee for unlimited access, according to SimplySwitch.com, the price comparison service.

High-speed broadband connections are considerably faster than analogue dial-up and have until recently been more expensive.

However, with more than 40 percent of households in the country now connected to broadband - and many more expected to subscribe this year - SimplySwitch said dial-up services are effectively being priced out of the market.

Its analysis shows that pay-per-minute dial-up customers who surf the net for just two hours per week could save money by switching to broadband.

And almost all Internet service providers offer unlimited broadband packages that are cheaper than their equivalent dial-up deals.

Telewest and NTL customers could save almost 60 pounds per year by switching to broadband from dial-up, while those with Tiscali and AOL could save 33 pounds and 12 pounds respectively per annum, according to SimplySwitch.

In many cases, broadband packages also come with free telephone calls - something not available with dial-up.

Karen Darby, founder of SimplySwitch, said: 'The advantages of switching from dial-up to broadband are obvious.

'With an 8Mb connection, broadband is 143 times faster than dial-up.

'You can download far larger files, watch videos online, use a wireless connection and you'll even save money as well.

'Anyone who ditches dial-up will see a vast improvement to their online experience.'