Will the UK's #1 Broadband Provider Please Stand Up?
A person could spend all day online trying to figure out who the best UK broadband providers are, or all week if that person is still using dial-up.
At last count, the number of broadband providers serving the UK was in the double digits. Looking over the spec sheets of the companies can be dizzying. Each one seems to offer the same thing, only different.
Before we can figure out who the best provider is, lets establish what exactly they're providing, and why it matters.
What is Broadband?
Broadband is a name given to every type of Internet service that's not dial-up. Remember dial-up? That's when your computer has to call up an Internet Service Provider (ISP) every time it wants to connect to the World Wide Web. Believe it or not, some folks out there still use it, and the difference between it and broadband is that broadband is always on, meaning it's always connected to the Web.
What Are the Types of Broadband Service?
There are many broadband formats available today, including Cable, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Satellite, and Fibre Optic Cable (FiOS). Before you can adequately compare UK broadband providers, you should understand the difference between the various types of broadband those providers might offer.
DSL
A Digital Subscriber Line is similar to dial-up in that it operates over a standard telephone line. Since it operates over phone lines, there are usually more companies offering DSL service than any other type of broadband, and it's also usually the least expensive option. While DSL is significantly faster than dial-up, it is the slowest form of broadband service. Since DSL service has to travel over existing phone lines, the farther your computer is from your service provider, the slower your service will be.
Cable
One of the most common, and most popular forms of broadband is the cable connection. You know what cable is. It's where your TV shows come from. That coaxial wire that comes into your house through the wall also has the ability carry an Internet connection. Cable is widely available, some would say ubiquitous, and it's much faster than DSL. One of the criticisms, however, is that when you have cable broadband, you are essentially sharing the signal with everyone else in your neighborhood. Anyone who has ever noticed that their Orange is the New Black stream tends to stall more during prime time knows what means. At times of high usage, cable broadband download speeds slow down.
Satellite
If your Internet service comes to you through a plastic dish attached to your home, that's an indication that you have satellite broadband. What this means is that your Internet activity is beamed from your computer to a satellite somewhere orbiting the planet then back down to your ISP, and so on. The advantage of satellite is that it can go where phone lines, cable lines, and Fibre Optic Cables do not yet exist. The disadvantage is that compared to other forms of broadband, satellite is pricey and slow. It's expensive and time consuming for every little bit of data you send and receive to have to go all the way up to space and back!
FiOS
The magi, and the science of Fiber Optic Service is that it uses light to send data across glass wires thinner than an eyelash. Since light is fast, FiOS offers the fastest Internet speeds available. The downside is that Fibre Optic Cables do not yet exist in most places.
How to Compare UK Broadband Packages
There are many factors that could go into determining a customer's level of satisfaction with a particular Internet provider. According to most typical users, the top 4 factors they consider when comparing Broadband providers are speed, cost, features, and the level of customer care they receive. Although speed, cost, and features are known quantities, customer care is more individualized, so for this analysis we only focus on the first three.
Speed:
Download speeds are always faster than upload speeds. The range of speeds varies widely among UK Broadband providers, usually depending on what type of network they utilize. For this analysis, speeds are related in terms of megabytes per second and expressed at the maximum speeds available for the service package being considered.
Cost:
Generally, cost depends on available speeds and selected features, and includes set-up fees, line rental costs, as well as other equipment rental fees. Often, introductory specials will affect cost, and charges can fluctuate over time with the availability of deals and coupons. All things considered, quality of service goes hand in hand with price.
Features:
The array of UK Broadband providers features varies widely. Mostly, the available features depend on what kind of network the provider uses, where the provider is located, and how much the provider charges for the service. Every Broadband service provider offers a variety of features bundled together into a variety of packages.
Based on a comparison of the 3 criteria listed above, here are the top 5 UK Broadband providers, determined by comparing their most popular phone and Broadband package:
TalkTalk
Features: One of the UK's 2 "quadruple play" providers, they offer landline, mobile, television, and cable service, in addition to Broadband Internet. Includes unlimited data transfer.
Speed: Download: 76 Mbps, Upload: 19 Mbps
Cost: £40 / month
Virgin Media
Features: The original "quadruple play" provider in the UK, they offer landline, mobile, television, and cable service in addition to Broadband Internet. Includes unlimited data transfer.
Speed: Download: 50 Mbps, Upload: 3 Mbps
Cost: £34 / month
EE
Features: In addition to mobile phone service, Broadband Internet, they offer IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service through the EE TV box. Includes unlimited data transfer.
Speed: Download: 38 Mbps, Upload: 10 Mbps
Cost: £40 / month
Plusnet
Features: Broadband Internet and landline phone.
Speed: Download: 38 Mbps, Upload: 20 Mbps
Cost: £35 / month
Utility Warehouse
Features: Broadband Internet and landline phone.
Speed: Download: 76 Mbps, Upload: 18 Mbps
Cost: £35 / month