Liam 'Lamsey' McBrien's UK ISP Guide

ISPs in the UK

There are dozens of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in the UK, and it can be difficult to work out exactly who you'd be better off going with. Here I'll give you a few handy tips on what to look at.

Kinds of Broadband Service

There are two main types of broadband service available to UK households: ADSL and cable. ADSL is probably the most common and works through your phone line, allowing you to be connected to the internet 24/7 without affecting your phone service. Cable broadband requires an optical cable to be installed into your house by an engineer and is often offered alongside cable tv or telephone services.

In terms of speeds, UK broadband speeds are constantly on the rise and it's not unusual to see multiple-Mb/s speeds (1 Mb/s is about 20 times faster than standard dialup). ADSL connections are available between 0.5 and 8Mb/s, while cable connections tend to be a bit faster - although upcoming ADSL2+ technology allows speeds of up to 24Mb/s!

Another important distinction between different types of broadband package is that some cheaper packages only allow you to download a certain amount of data per month, which is suitable for light use but ends up being severely limiting if you want to use your connection for downloading large files, streaming video, or playing games online. Those who make a lot of use of their connection should look at getting an unlimited or high-usage service.

Notable UK ISPs

As has already been mentioned, there are dozens of ISPs in the UK and it can be a big task to look through them. Here are a few ISPs which I think are worth your while looking at (even if you're currently with another ISP - it's not difficult to move to another ISP to get a better deal).

PlusNet

PlusNet are among the best ADSL ISPs out there, with a policy of offering high-speed packages for fair prices. Instead of offering different speed grades, PlusNet's packages are based on usage and all come with speeds up to 8Mb/s as standard; this means you get the benefits of high speed and only need to spend in relation to your usage. I'm currently on the 'option 3' package which costs Ł20 a month and comes with 20GB monthly daytime usage, unlimited overnight usage and a host of other extras such as unlimited mailboxes, free domain hosting and 250MB of webspace.

Virgin Media

If you want a cable connection, chances are you'll be looking at Virgin Media. Back in the day, NTL used to be the daddies for cable; then Telewest came along and bought them, and then Richard Branson spotted an opportunity and got his own chequebook out. As a result, we're now looking to Virgin for cable services in the UK. The nice thing about their broadband packages is that they're all unlimited - you just need to choose which line speed you want.

Be Internet

Be Internet are an ADSL2+ company and look very promising, offering packages at up to 24MB/s for only Ł18 a month with a Ł24 setup fee. This is definitely a great deal for heavy internet users, especially gamers or filesharers as the upload rate is significantly higher than with conventional ADSL or cable. Be's services are not very widespread yet and you might have to wait a fair while before being able to sign up, so this is one to keep an eye on.

Be broadband products and services