Broadband ISP
ISP is the common abbreviation for Internet Service Provider and is a term that describes a company that offers internet access to users over a range of different telecommunication networks that run throughout the country. An ISP provides access to the internet using technologies like dial-up, mobile broadband, DSL broadband and fibre optic broadband. All of these types of connection provided by an ISP offer benefits that meet a particular type of users ‘ requirements.
The main ISP providers in the UK
The main fixed line broadband ISP providers in the UK at the moment are BT and Virgin Media. Both of the companies are a main ISP because they have their own networks. BT is an ISP that offers dial-up and DSL broadband access over the UK ’s copper wire phone system and currently offers its users speeds of up to 24Mbps with its ADSL2+ technology. Virgin Media is an ISP that uses fibre optic cabling for its broadband network and currently offers its customers speeds of up to 50Mbps.
There are a huge number of companies at the moment that are ISP providers and they offer their dial-up and broadband services by leasing line from either BT or Virgin. ISPs like Be, Plusnet, Sky and many others offer internet access by using networks owned by the two main ISP companies.
The other type of ISP is the mobile broadband ISP and they offer broadband access using the mobile phone networks. Each mobile broadband ISP runs its service on either its own mobile phone network or sometimes using a competitors ‘ network. The main mobile broadband ISP companies are O2, Virgin Media, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3 each offering a range of mobile broadband services.
Choosing between the various ISP companies
When looking for the best broadband deal finding an ISP that gives you everything you require can often be quite a difficult process. Each ISP offers a range of services at different prices and have varying feature. The best ISP available is often different for each individual based on their requirement but there is plenty of help through reseller and broadband comparison sites that now make the job of choosing an ISP far simpler. The broadband comparison sites allows you to filter information shown on the site when choosing an ISP and limits the offers that are displayed based on what you are looking for in an ISP. An alternative method is to check on individual ISP or reseller websites to find an ISP deal that meets your needs. Searching for an ISP in this way can often be more time consuming and does need you to have an idea of the ISP or service you are looking for.
The reason it takes longer when manually search for the right ISP is because you don ‘t have all the information together in one place like you do when you use a broadband comparison site, although by doing it this way you may find special offers or limited deals from an ISP that you may not find on a broadband comparison site.
What to look for in the deals an ISP offers
An ISP usually falls into three areas and they are DSL, Cable and mobile broadband. Each of these areas will suit a certain type of user and can define the deals that you look for. The biggest factor that helps to decide which ISP you should go with is where in the country you live or expect to use you broadband connection. Some areas don ‘t have cable or DSL connections and because getting a mobile broadband service from an ISP is depending on network coverage from the ISP as it is accessed over mobile phone networks.
The other three criteria that must be considered before choosing an ISP deal are the price, download speeds and the monthly download allowance. The importance of these three areas is based on what you want from you broadband connection and this is why each ISP offers a variety of prices, speeds and download limits.
Download speeds vary from ISP to ISP with anything up to 24Mbps from ADSL2+ providers and up to 50Mbps from Cable providers. Choosing the best ISP download speed depends on what you will be using your broadband connection to do and light user will be fine with low speed connections whilst the heavier downloads usually going for the ISP offering the fastest speeds. Data download allowances are also important with most ISP providers offering from 1GB per month to unlimited downloads as long as they comply with its fair usage policy. Light users are normally happy with the 1 to 4GB per month limits and heavy users tend to opt for the ISP offering the unlimited allowances. Once these choices have been made all that is left is for you to compare the ISP offering the best deal.
