Broadband News

Best Consumer ISP nominations revealed

(24-01-08) - The nominees for the final category at this year's Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) awards have been revealed at last.

The nominees for the Best consumer ISP award are as follows:

• BT
• Orange
• PlusNet
• Tiscali
• Virgin Media
• Vispa

Unlike the previously announced categories, this group consists almost entirely of big name providers, with BT (www.BT.com) and Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) the UK's two biggest ISPs with four million and 3.5 million customers respectively, and Tiscali (www.Tiscali.co.uk) is the UK's fourth largest.

However, Tiscali customers have this week faced "sub dial-up" speeds and un-usable applications following a botched upgrade to the company's traffic management software, and Virgin Media has been criticised for its decision last year to up its technical support line to a premium rate, 25 pence per minute number in a bid to deter "off-subject" calls from customers.

Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) charges a whopping 50p per minute for providing technical support and its broadband speeds are often well below par.

However, Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: "Although some people might be surprised by some of the nominations for Best consumer ISP, you have to look at the bigger picture. For example, although Virgin Media has been criticised for its premium rate phone line, it regularly takes the top spot in our monthly speed tester results.

"This is not the first time that these providers have featured in the ISPA award nominations, or gone on to win in their respective categories," he continued. "However, it remains to be seen if heavyweight newcomers like O2 (www.O2.co.uk), with its free, UK-based technical support, introductory money-back guarantee and line testing after installation, will have an effect on next year's nominations."

Related article - 2008 ISPA awards nominations.

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