List of UK broadband providers

Here is a list of the prominent broadband Internet access providers in the United Kingdom.

• BT Group:- BT Group plc is one of the world's leading providers of communication solutions that operate in more than 170 countries and have arguably one of the world's largest IP networks. Besides being the dominant telecommunications provider in the UK, BT also is also the most prominent broadband internet supplier in the country. The company offers both wholesale and retail broadband solutions. Openreach is the retail broadband supplying division of the company.

• O2 : - O2 is a firm that provides broadband service to customers and businesses in the United Kingdom. The company also provides non-voice services, such as text and media messaging, music and video, and data transmission using GPRS, 3G, HSDPA and WLAN. It provides the consumer with home broadband services for rates starting from £7.34 a month. It has won the Moneysupermarket.com's Fastest Actual Speed award three times for its 8 meg package. These surveys were conducted in 2008. Furthermore, it has won uSwitch.com's “Best Overall Customer Satisfaction” award for 2009. O2 is also one among the five mobile networks operating in the UK.

• PlusNet: - PlusNet is observed to be an internet service provider that is able to offer tailor-made broadband packages to customers, including broadband-phone deals. PlusNet was founded in 1997 with headquarters based in Sheffield, UK. PlusNet that won the ISPA's “Best Consumer ISP” award in 2008. ISPA short for Internet Services Providers' Association is UK's Trade association for internet service providers in the UK. It has also been ranked number one in a survey carried out by Broadband Choices; which is a pro-broadband website in the UK.

• Sky Broadband :- Sky is a leading digital TV provider that also ventures into the broadband and home phone segment. Launched in 2006, it has its headquarters in London, UK. It claims to offer comprehensive bundle services with the TV, home phone and broadband services all clubbed into one. It won the uSwitch.com's “Best Overall Customer Satisfaction” award in 2009.

• Virgin Media: - One of the first service providers to offer consumers the quad-play bundle where TV, broadband, home phone and mobile all merged into one. Virgin Media won Top 10 Broadband's “Best Broadband Bundle” award in August 2008 and MacUser magazine's “ISP of the Year” award for November 2008.. April 2009 saw Virgin Media receiving the Gold Award for download performance from the Broadband Choices Customer Satisfaction Survey. The UK ISP claims to have around 10 million customers. The company also provides fibre optic broadband of up to 100Mb, with 120Mb due to be rolled out by the middle of 2013.

• TalkTalk : - A subsidiary of the UK mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk offers broadband service to the consumers in the UK. Launched in 2004, the ISP boasts of a customer-base of more than 4 million customers. The services offered by the ISP include voice and broadband packages

• AOL: - AOL broadband is the recent acquirement of the The Carphone Warehouse Group. It has been providing internet services including broadband and dial-up for more than 10 years, and currently claims to have around 1.7 million customers. The ISP specialises in offering flexible broadband and home phone plans.

• Orange : - Predominantly a mobile broadband service provider, Orange also offers fixed line broadband solutions to the consumers in the UK. Value added broadband packages at impressive speeds are the prime attractions of the ISP's menu. Orange is the co-owner of the 900 MHz spectrum with O2 and is observed to be one of UK's fastest growing mobile communications company.

• Be Unlimited : - BE is a broadband provider renowned for high speed broadband packages based on ADSL 2+ technology. With headquarters based in London, this internet service provider was founded in 2004. Currently, it claims to offer value for money internet services to an increasing number of UK customers. The ISP also claims that gaming broadband service was its most specialised domain. They won the Top 10 Broadband's ”Gaming Broadband” award in 2008 for its low latency, and faster download speeds.

• 3 Mobile : - 3 UK is a mobile phone carrier, which has recently entered the broadband sector. The flexible package options included in their services collectively are the speciality of the ISP. The mobile broadband dongle offered by the company enables the user to go online irrespective of the location. 3UK has also introduced Pay as you Go option for the customers who do not have a liking to fixed term contracts.

• Updata : - Updata Infrastructure UK is a broadband provider focusing on public sector markets with a customer base covering schools, local authorities and primary care trusts.

Who owns Who?

There has been some consolidation in the UK ISP market place which means that end users may change supplier only to find they are still effectively with the same parent company often with the same ethos that caused them to want to change.

This is an incomplete list of the parent and the ISP.

• BT BT Openworld, BT Connect, BT Yahoo, PlusNet
• Cable & Wireless Thus, Demon
• NTL NTL:Telewest NTL, Telewest, Virgin, Virgin Media (Richard Branson holds only approx 10% of 'Virgin Media')
• Orange Wanadoo, Freeserve, Orange
• Sky Sky, Easynet
• Talk Talk AOL (in the UK), Tiscali, Talk Talk, Opal, Pipex
• Telefonica O2, Be
• Virgin Media See NTL

External links

• Main Orange Group's site
• UK Mobile Broadband Provider
• PlusNet Home Page
• Sky Broadband
• Telefónica O2 UK
• VirginMedia UK
• TalkTalk UK
• Simplifydigital - The UK impartial comparison service of digital TV, broadband & home phone, accredited by Ofcom.
• Eclipse Business ISP
• UK broadband provider directory
• UK broadband internet service provider
• UK broadband providers ranked by reviews