Broadband Guide

Top ISPs for downloading

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If you want to download lots of movies, music and all your missed favourites from the BBC iPlayer in high-definition, you need a provider that’s fast, reliable and won’t penalise you for all your downloading.

Which Internet provider is right for me?

Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) - - The UK’s cable provider launched the country’s fastest broadband package in December 2008, with download speeds of up to 50Mb and plans to launch a superfast broadband package with 100Mb speeds in 2010. Because it uses a cable network to deliver its broadband, Virgin Media can offer faster, more reliable connections than many other ADSL competitors.

Although it applies traffic management to its 10Mb and 20Mb broadband packages, this doesn’t apply to its XXL 50Mb broadband, where you're free to download at lightning speeds without fear of being throttled.

BE Broadband (www.Bethere.co.uk) - BE’s first customer averaged a massive 18.5Mb, and using ADSL2+ technology, BE now offers speeds of up to 24Mb. All of BE’s packages come with “unlimited broadband” downloads, and although a fair usage policy does apply, BE was designed for the next generation of broadband users, and has rarely applied restrictions. Some of the Broadbandchoices.co.uk team have road tested BE’s broadband at home, and have all given it the thumbs up.

BE customers can even personalise their broadband by optimising their connection for web surfing, speed, reliability or online gaming.

O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) - When the mobile phone provider launched it’s home broadband service in October 2007 - over the BE Broadband network that it owns - it promised to be transparent and honest, even offering a money back guarantee if any customers were unhappy. It offers three award-winning packages, at speeds of 8Mb or up to 20Mb broadband - all with generous fair usage download allowances. And like BE, it provides a fast, reliable service that copes well with high levels of downloading.

O2 mobile phone customers can also get a discount on all packages, reducing costs to just £10 a month for its Premium 20Mb service. The ISP also took the top spot at the Broadbandchoices.co.uk customer satisfaction awards 2010.

Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) - Sky’s broadband service has been a rather surprising success, but its huge customer base and cheap bundles made it one of the fastest growing ISPs on the market.

Sky’s Unlimited package is one of the UK’s only truly unlimited broadband tariffs, so you can download as much as you like over your 20Mb connection without being penalised.

Plusnet Broadband (www.Plus.net) - As well as its award-winning home broadband packages, Plusnet also offers a dedicated gamers tariff with a 20GB allowance and free overnight downloads. All traffic over your 20Mb connection is prioritised at all times, with low latency and ping as well as access to the Plusnet gaming servers.

BT Broadband (www.BT.com) - BT upgraded its national network in summer 2009 to offer speeds of up to 20Mb but also launched its own fibre optic broadband packages at the start of 2010.

Its Infinity Broadband packages offer speeds of up to 40Mb broadband from just £19.99 a month. Though this package does come with a set 20GB download limit, there is an “unlimited” option.

BT Infinity was available to around 500,000 customers at launch in February 2010, rising to 2.5 million by summer and set to reach four million customers by the end of the year.

What to think about when choosing your provider:

If you know that you’ll want to download lots of music and movie files, and use peer-to-peer networks and TV streaming and download sites like the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4oD then make sure that you do your research before signing a new contract with an ISP by comparing broadband providers online.

Although the vast majority of providers now offer “unlimited” downloads, the vast majority of these will have a fair usage policy attached.

The effects of these policies vary from one provider to the next. Some apply heavy-handed traffic management, slowing your connection down to non-existent speeds if you try to download during peak hours, while others - like the ones listed above - are far better equipped to deal with heavy downloaders.

Read our broadband customer reviews to see what other Broadbandchoices.co.uk customers think about your chosen provider.

Install our free Broadband Download Monitor to keep track of your downloads and set limits so that you never exceed your limit.

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