Broadband Access

Providers of broadband internet access in the UK

Listings of unlimited, capped and pay as you go broadband ISPs, guides, directories and reviews of providers. Note that ADSL ISPs will generally be companies reselling the BT service, sometimes with enhancements. Also, note that prices fluctuate over time, and this page may not be up to date.

Comparisons

Top ISPs by subscriber numbers: BT Broadband Virgin Media AOL Tiscali Orange Broadband Pipex

• Pricerunner UK has an large list of providers, which can be ordered by first year cost, after you have hit the search button.
• Thinkbroadband.com (formerly adslguide.co.uk) features an ISP list, ordered by cost after one year, including "Best ADSL provider" and feature a user comment board.
• USwitch.com includes a broadband comparison section.
• Moneysupermarket.com/broadband/

• Broadband reviews and provider directories:

  • ISP Review features busy message boards, regularly updated news and a list of broadband providers.
  • Net 4 Now is a news and listing site (their broadband section) with ISP reviews and a busy ISP discussion forum.
  • Broadband-help.com includes articles on broadband issues, including an ISP listing with user ratings, forum and buyers guide.

   

• ADSL from Zen Internet

  8Mb broadband (as exchanges are enabled) with a 20GB transfer limit costs £24.99 monthly with £47 activation.

  Recommended: Well received by reviewers (see links at top of page), reliable enough for companies to use and friends who chose have it at home.  Better customer service, but somewhat more expensive than cut-price rivals.

   

• ADSL from BT Total Broadband

  BT's 8Mb broadband (Option 1) is £17.99 per month (£8.95 first 6 months with an 18 month contract) with a 5GB transfer limit per month.  Includes a free modem and connection (a wireless router upgrade is £30).

  The BT Vision service includes a V-Box digital TV recorder with 160GB of space (which costs £60 installation and £30 connection) to record Freeview programs, requires a BT Home hub (£30 when purchased online).

   

• Cable modem access from Virgin Media broadband (was Telewest and NTL)

  2Mb broadband with telephone is currently £15.50 per month for the first 12 months (£29 thereafter). There is also a £30 installation charge.  Existing customers should be able to ask for comparable rates.

  Virgin Media offer a good value "triple-play" bundle of Digital TV, broadband and landline telephone for £30 per month.  Installation for new customers costs £25.  A "quadruple-play" package including a Virgin Mobile SIM with 300 mins per month is available for £40.

  10Mb broadband and phone costs £19.00 per month for 6 months.

  20Mb broadband and phone costs £21.00 per month for 6 months.

  Virgin Media's speed in general is good, mail downloads quickly and file downloads are speedy.  It can be connected to Linux very easily.

  NTL merged with Telewest and rebranded as Virgin Media after buying Virgin Mobile.

  Discussions of the service are available on Nthell:world and Cableforum.co.uk.

   

• ADSL from Orange Broadband (was Wanadoo/Freeserve)

  2Mb broadband with a 6GB download cap costs £12 per month (£6 for first 6 months).  Up to 8Mb with no cap is available for £24 per month (currently £12 for first 6 months) with wireless modem.

  The 2Mb plan is available for an additional £5 if you extend your existing contract to 18 months (or take out a new one), the 8Mb plan costs an additional £10.  See Orange's site for details of mobile phones, or see the mobile phone page for cheap Orange retailers.

   

• 8Mb ADSL from TalkTalk (part of CarphoneWarehouse)

  TalkTalk offers inclusive (free) 8Mb broadband with their Talk2 International Call Plan.  A total of £16.39 per month (inclusive of line rental), 40GB monthly download cap and 18 month contract.  Their optional modem costs £29.99.

   

• ADSL from Tiscali

  Offers 8Mb broadband including phone line rental for £14.99 per month (£30 installation, modem and only £9.99 for the first 3 months).  The package without line rental, but with phone service costs £12.99 per month (£4.49 per month for the first 3 months).

   

• Inclusive 2Mb ADSL from Sky

  Sky provide inclusive 2Mb ADSL with their satellite TV.  It includes a free wireless modem.  You will need a BT phoneline (£11 per month) as well as subscribe to a TV package costing £15 per month, with an upfront £30 connection fee (until Sept).  8Mb costs an additional £5, and 16Mb an additional £10.  These services are available to up to 70% of the UK population.

   

• 22Mb ADSL2+ service from UK Online (part of Easynet)

  Their 2Mb service costs £14.99 per month if you live in their limited catchment area (£25 setup).  £29.99 USB modem.

  Their 16Mb broadband using costs £24.99 per month (with limited geographical availability) with a 12 month contract.  £25 connection.  It's available to those living within 2km of an enabled exchange, and with good line quality.

  Their 8Mb service costs £19.99 per month (or £14.99 for 2Mb) in their catchment area.

   

• BeThere's 24Mb broadband

  BeThere's 24Mb broadband costs £22 per month and includes unlimited usage.  Their 8Mb service costs £14 per month, with a £24 connection charge.    Limited geographical availability.

   

• ADSL 4 Less pay as you go and unmetered ADSL prices

  Unlimited 512Kb access costs £14.99 per month with £58.75 connection for a 12 month contract (or a £14.99 migration fee). Offer a modem and microfilters for  £42.99 including P&P.

  8Mb pay as you go access costs £11.99 per month if a year's access is bought in advance with a 2Gb download cap (1GB costs £1.75).

   

• Tesco ADSL broadband

  Unlimited 512Kb costs £17.97 per month (£14.97 for the first year) with no connection charges and free modem.  A 512Kb service with a 3GB per month cap costs £13.97.  Their 2Mb service with a 10GB limit costs £19.97 per month.

   

• ADSL from Plus.net

  Up to 8Mb ADSL access from £14.99 per month for a 12 month contract with 8 GB per month "usage guideline".  Modem and setup is currently free.

   

• ADSL from AOL UK (now part of Carphone Warehouse)

  Offer 2Mb broadband at £14.99 per month. Connection, modem and filters are currently free.  8Mb connection costs £29.99 per month.

   

• ADSL from Pipex

  Offer a 8Mb service with a 2GB cap for £14.99 per month (£8.95 for first three months).  8MB service  is availa,le for £24.99.

   

• ADSL from Demon

  Demon Home is £17.99 per month for a 8Mb service with unlimited downloads, free setup and modem.

   

• ADSL from Nildram

  8Mb broadband from £15.99 per month, a 2.5GB limit (£0.99 per extra GB) and a £47 setup fee.

   

• ADSL from Eclipse.net.uk

  A 8Mb service with 2GB download cap is available for £14.99 with free setup and modem.

   

• Business ADSL from Easynet

  from £59 per month excluding VAT

   

• UK satellite providers

  UK satellite providers is still an unstable market. Google has this same list ordered by popularity.

   

• Other broadband listings:

  • Dmoz's list of UK DSL, Cable and Satellite ISPs (the Google versions are DSL, Cable and Satellite and order the sites by popularity).
  • Dmoz's mainly US DSL and Cable ISP listings which cover many smaller providers (the Google versions are DSL and Cable and order the sites by popularity).
  • Whichisp.com features broadband provider listings, as well as unmetered and subscription-free ISPs.
  • Cable-modems.co.uk features information for cable modem users and forums for discussions.
  • Robin Walker's Cable Modem Pages - Troubleshooting tips covering both NTL and Blueyonder services.

   

• Advantages of broadband

  • Faster access
    • Pages download much faster - extra bandwidth and lower latency means web pages arrive noticeably faster.
    • Downloads of Windows updates (as well as Anti-virus and Firewall software) are much faster. 
    • Uploads are much faster if you upload data to web sites.
  • Instant on - no 20 second dial-up time when you first decide to access the internet.
  • Easily shared between multiple computers and consoles using home and wireless networking.  No noticeable slowdown for small numbers of computers.
  • Can be used for internet telephony or VoIP, which could cut the cost of telephone calls.
  • No worries about rogue dialers - connecting via an ADSL modem the computer can't be persuaded by rogue programs to dial up expensive phone numbers (as long as the regular modem is disconnected).
  • Unlimited, fixed cost packages are available - meaning no concerns about leaving the service on all the time.

   

• Disadvantages of broadband 

  • Not available everywhere equally - some users won't be able to access broadband over their telephone line (see satellite access), or won't be able to access the very highest speeds.
  • Usually access is by monthly subscription, so you will still pay for the service even if you aren't using it.
  • Initial cost of hardware and connection can be substantial for some packages.

   

• Calculating current internet usage

  Programs such as Netmeter calculate the amount of data transferred across a connection.  If you are considering moving from an uncapped contract (or dial-up) to a capped contract you should calculate how much bandwidth you use (to calculate whether it is worthwhile).

   

• Buying wireless networking hardware and home networking

  Wireless Networking has price comparisons of ADSL modems, routers and wireless networking products, including micro filters, wireless adapters and combination modems and routers.

  See the home networking page for home networking how-tos.

If you can't get, or don't want broadband, why not try unmetered internet access?