BT has announced a deepening of its relationship with Yahoo!

BT has announced a deepening of its relationship with Yahoo! as it simplified its broadband packages into four easy options. Each of these packages will offer new and existing customers a premium Yahoo! broadband experience, enhanced security features and the option of cheap internet telephony offering consumers even greater value from BT and Yahoo!.

BT Broadband Option 1, which costs £17.99 a month, will now provide access to a premium Yahoo! broadband experience and a full range of leading tools and services. These include a premium level customisable radio station, access to the Web's largest catalogue of music video streamed at higher bit rates, a personalised broadband homepage with access to more than 750,000 content sources from across the Web, award-winning premium e-mail with industry-leading spam protection with 2Gb of storage for primary accounts.

A new package, BT Broadband Option 2, is priced at £22.99 a month. This will additionally offer a wireless router from just £25 and 'best of class' enhanced security including PC anti-virus and firewall software for further protection. Options 3 and 4 will offer a wireless router for free along with other enhanced features.

Gavin Patterson, BT group managing director, Consumer, said: "The heat of competition in broadband is white hot and we will continue to give our customers fantastic deals.

"We have raised our game again by giving all customers access to the fantastic award winning, premium Yahoo! broadband experience which highlights the kind of unique content and superior security features which give customers peace of mind.

"BT led the way when we gave customers up to four times the connection speed for no added cost and now we are offering more features for free. For instance, we will be offering inclusive Evening and Weekend UK calls over the internet with Broadband Talk for an extra £2 a month, and you make the calls using your usual handset.

"We know that customers don't care about the technicalities and just want a connection which will allow them to do what they want to. That's why for BT Broadband Options 3 and 4 we've included a free wireless router if you order online and enhanced security, so customers can securely link up all their families' computers without drowning under a mountain of wires.

"Following the announcement from BT Wholesale yesterday that they will be trialing speeds of 8 Mb, I can confirm that BT Retail will be joining these trials in November and we will be introducing speeds of up to 8Mb when available in Spring next year, in preparation for the launch of BT's TV over broadband offering later in the summer."

Steve Boom, Yahoo! Senior Vice President Broadband, said: "We are excited to extend our successful alliance with BT and now bring the best experience, security and value on the Internet to all of the BT Broadband options. This deal reinforces our standing as the partner of choice for leading broadband providers. BT and Yahoo! are focused on delivering the best possible services to consumers and we are delighted".