All About Direct Save Telecom
Established in 1999 with a goal of providing discounted line rental and calls, Direct Save Telecom (DST) offers a range of residential and business broadband, phone calls and line rental tariffs.
Running off the Openreach (BT) telephone network, it claims to offer savings against the likes of BT, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media on its services, while being committed to offering UK-based telephone support.
Can I get Direct Save broadband in my area?
DST broadband deals are available to the majority of homes and businesses. The choice of packages will depend on your location, so use this deals checker to compare what’s available in your area.
What Direct Save Telecom packages are there? How fast are they?
DST uses the BT Openreach network to supply its services. This means you'll find a similar choice of speeds as many other providers.
There are a couple of different speed tiers that almost every home can get; ADSL and Fibre. Full Fibre broadband is also available, but this is more limited.
Here's a summary of the DST packages available:
- Direct Save Basic Broadband: average download speed 11Mb / upload speed 1Mb
- Direct Save Fibre Broadband: average download speed 35Mb / upload speed 9Mb
- Direct Save Fibre Broadband Plus: average download speed 63Mb / upload speed 17Mb
- Direct Save 40Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 40Mb / upload speed 10Mb
- Direct Save 80Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 80Mb / upload speed 20Mb
- Direct Save 100Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 100Mb / upload speed 20Mb
- Direct Save 220Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 220Mb / upload speed 30Mb
- Direct Save 550Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 550Mb / upload speed 75Mb
- Direct Save 1000Mb Full Fibre: average download speed 1000Mb / upload speed 115Mb
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What does ADSL mean?
ADSL stands for ‘Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line’. It’s broadband technology that allows the transfer data across regular telephone lines. You can make calls at the same time as being connected to the internet.
An ADSL line will, at minimum, allow for a broadband connection of up to 8Mb. These days, that’s pretty slow and won’t allow you to do much other than emailing or basic web searches.
ADSL2+ is now available at nearly all exchanges across the UK with slightly faster data transfer rates of around 10-11Mb.
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What’s the difference between ‘fibre’ and ‘full-fibre’ broadband?
Full Fibre broadband is also known as ‘Fibre To The Premises’, ‘Fibre To The Home’. This is often shortened to FTTP or FTTH. They’re all the same thing!
Instead of copper telephone wire making up the final part of the journey from that green cabinet on the street, fibre optic cables are installed right up to your home.
It’s amazing the difference in speed this small data journey can have. With full-fibre broadband, you can expect to receive speeds of 1Gb+.
The downside is full-fibre is only available to a small percentage of homes in the UK, and it’s taking a good while to get everyone up to speed.
Many Direct Save Telecom basic and broadband deals are on 12-month agreements, but if you want to sign up to one of its full fibre packages, you may need to commit to a longer 18-months. DST is also one of the few providers to offer home broadband with no credit check.
All DST deals include a free Wi-Fi broadband router with free postage, and they're also unlimited with no data restrictions.
Which Direct Save Telecom package is right for me?
All Direct Save Telecom packages include unlimited broadband and free Wi-Fi router, and most include a 12-month contract (significantly shorter than many other providers).
Other than contract length, the main thing you'll want to think about when deciding on a package is availability and speed.
You should start by entering your postcode to see what's available in your area. It may be you don't have much choice, and you don't have access to full fibre broadband yet.
Individuals and couples with fairly light usage, like just browsing the internet, using social media and checking emails, can get by with ADSL. However, as the old copper and broadband network is being phased out, you may not be able to sign up to an ADSL standard fibre deal.
We recommend fibre optic for most people. Direct Save Telecom's fibre packages start from just over £30 per month. If you can afford a little extra, this will give you a lot more flexibility.
Shared and family homes with more than two people will be best off with unlimited fibre plans. Direct Save Telecom's fibre broadband is recommended for gamers and anyone else who is likely to use it for activities which place more demand on the connection. That can include people who are regularly downloading large files or streaming HD video.
As a general rule, allow a speed of 10Mb per person, but double it for each person using the connection for things like video streaming, downloading, and gaming.
For more help with this, visit our guide: 'what broadband speed do I need? Do I need fast broadband?'
Does Direct Save Telecom offer a phone package?
A phone line's required for DST broadband deals — the price you see listed is the cost of both the broadband and phone line.
You can also add on the following calling plans:
- Pay As You Go calls - £2.95 per month
- 700 minutes of free calls to UK landline and UK mobiles - £6.95 per month
- Free Anytime Calls to UK landline and UK mobiles - £13.95 per month
Direct Save Telecom: pros and cons
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To find out more, read our full Direct Save Telecom review.
Frequently asked questions about Direct Save Telecom
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How do I switch to Direct Save Telecom?
Switching to Direct Save Telecom is easy. You shouldn't need to speak to your current provider at all, and Direct Save will do all the admin work for you. For more help on how to change broadband provider, you can read our guide: 'how to switch broadband and get an amazing deal'.
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How do I contact Direct Save customer service?
You can call customer support on 01923 709 709. Calls are answered between 8am and 8pm on weekdays, and 9am-5pm Saturdays and Public Holidays.
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Can I keep my phone number with Direct Save Telecom?
Yes. Your line can be transferred from your current provider.
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How quickly can I get connected to Direct Save Telecom broadband?
Once you've signed up, it'll take around 14 days for your Direct Save Telecom account to be activated.