NTL are offering half price installation for the month of Sept........  BTopenworld are offering a FREE adsl modem on installation..........  Bulldog Broadband gives you up to 6Mbs, as and when you need it.......
Free Sim Card

Low UK Broadband Cost

If you haven't got broadband yet, then now's the time – there are loads of great offers about.

Telewest Broadband are offering half price installation. I personally would go for the 1MB 5 times faster than broadband. You will like most of the other companies reviewed here get some web space usually 50 megs and some pop3 email usually 5 accounts.

If you’re reading this, you already know the benefits of the internet – a world of information at your fingertips, the ability to order almost anything at any time of day and, of course, being able to communicate with people anywhere in the world almost instantly.

But you’ll no doubt also have had first-hand experience of all the things that they don’t mention in the ads – difficulty dialling up, dropped connections, interminable waits while files download… There’s no doubt that finding a reliable, speedy and good value-for-money internet service provider (ISP) is crucial to getting the most out of surfing the net.

So far we’ve looked at 48 dial-up services and we’re continuing to test them all the time. So, if you become unhappy with your ISP, we’ll always be able to give you up-to-date information on how a range of services are performing. Check the results of our speed tests on pay-as-you-go and subscription ISPs to see whether you might be better off switching (even if you’re happy with your ISP’s speed, you might want to see how it compares with others and whether you could save money by switching).

Alternatively, if you’re tired of waiting for web pages to download and tying your phone line up when you’re surfing, it might be time to consider moving to broadband, which offers faster internet access than dial-up ISPs. The first step is finding out which services are available in your area and then choosing a provider.


There are plenty of ISPs to choose from if you’re not happy with the service you’re getting from your current provider. But switching from one to another can be a hassle – you may have to change your email address, for example – so it’s worth checking out several ISPs offer before signing up.

Tariff
Think about how much, and when, you’re likely to use the internet. If you don’t use the internet very often, a pay-as-you-go package might suit you. You will pay local call rates for the time you are connected. If you spend want to spend lots of time online, for a fixed monthly fee, you can get a package offering unlimited access, or unlimited access at certain times of the day.

Usage limits
Many subscription services now place usage limits on their services to prevent people from staying online all of the time. These are often around 150 hours per month, although some also apply daily limits. Some ISPs charge less for services that are capped at a relatively low usage allowance, such as 60 hours per month.

Performance
Waiting for web pages to download can be a constant frustration for net surfers. There are several links in the chain that will affect the speed of your internet connection, but much of it is down to your ISP. Use the results of our regularly-updated performance tests of 48 dial-up services to see which are fastest. But, even with the best dial-up ISP, you’ll face waits to download big files. To reduce these you could consider upgrading to a broadband connection.

Compatibility
Finding an ISP whose service is compatible with your type computer isn’t normally an issue. But if your computer has an early version of Windows, or if it is an Apple Mac, it is worth checking that there won’t be any problems. Cable customers will have a more limited choice of services than BT customers, as many monthly subscription services are only available via a BT phone line.

Email
A key reason for going online is, of course, to have email access. ISPs give you an email address, normally ending in the name of the ISP. However, you may want a number of email addresses if there are several people in your household, or you may want different email addresses, say, for work and for personal communication. Some ISPs give you only one email address, others unlimited addresses. If the ISP does offer you several email addresses, it’s worth checking whether these have private logins and passwords. Usually all the email addresses will share the same inbox.

Web page hosting
If you want to try your hand at designing your own web page, most ISPs will give you web space to do so. The amount of free space offered varies from ISP to ISP: some offer as little as 10Mb; others as much as 250Mb. Once you use up your free web space you’ll usually have to pay for more. If you’re planning to develop your own site extensively, it may be cheaper to use an independent web hosting service.

Support services
If you’re new to the internet, or simply not very confident about using a computer, it’s likely that you’ll need help at some point. Depending on how much you need, and your ISP, this can prove costly. ISPs’ technical support lines are occasionally free, but many are charged at premium rates – 50p or even £1 a minute. Some ISPs have FAQ and technical support pages on their websites, which can provide answers and avoid a pricey call. Many supply free email support, which is great as long as you aren’t having difficulties connecting to the internet in the first place.

Choosing a speedy and reliable ISP is the first step to ensuring a happy and trouble-free time surfing the internet. We’ve tested 48 dial-up services around 4,000 times each to help you choose.

We test each service more than 1,000 times each month, to be sure that our results are accurate and reliable. Our Best Buys have to meet three key criteria that reflect a consistently good performance: above-average speeds for downloading files, no matter what the time of day; at least average upload speeds; and a minimal number of dial-up errors and dropped connections. Some ISPs that look fast, like the BBC, fall down on this last factor.

Pay-as-you-go services
If you don’t spend much time online (jump to unmetered services if you do), one of our Best Buy pay-as-you-go services, where access is charged at your phone company’s local rates, could be for you. If you’re not an experienced computer user, consider services that don’t charge premium rates for calling the helpline. To give you a clear picture of how each service performs, we’ve presented our results in bar chart form, too.

Claranet’s Unlimited Free Trial service provides unlimited email addresses for a single inbox, 10Mb of web space for your use and local-rate telephone support.

Firenet’s Pay As You Go did well in our tests. But it charges 25p per minute for calls to its helpline, which could mount up if you experience difficulties.

Freeserves’s No Ties service provides unlimited email addresses in a single inbox, In addition it will host up to five 30Mb websites at no charge. Calls to its customer services team are charged at national rate, and technical support is 50p per minute.

NDO’s HomeDial provides unlimited email addresses in a single inbox plus a total of 20Mb free web space. Call to its helpline are charged at national rate.

Supanet’s Classicservice gives unlimited email addresses, spam filters and parental controls. But it can’t be accessed from a cable phone line and calls to its technical helpline cost £1 per minute.

Unmetered services
If you surf regularly, you may want a package that, for a flat monthly fee, gives you unlimited access, or unlimited access at certain times of the day. It’s worth noting that many subscription services now place usage limits on access to prevent people staying online all the time. These are often around 150 hours a month, although some ISPs also apply daily limits. Some ISPs charge less for services that are capped at a relatively low usage allowance, such as 60 hours per month. For a clear picture of how each service performs, take a look at our bar chart.

Firenet’s LitePlus package costs £12.99 and offers 80 hours access per month with an automatic disconnection after two hours of continuous use. It includes unlimited email addresses and 10Mb of free web space.

Supanet's Supahighway service costs £15.99 per month, and places no limit on how long you can spend online each month, although you will be disconnected after two hours of continuous use. On the downside, it has a minimum contract of 12 months and charges £1 per minute for helpline access. It offers both spam filters and parental controls.

Pay-as-you-go services
Here's a summary of the pay as you go ISP services we’ve tested. We update the performance ratings and prices of each service every three months. Best Buys are highlighted in red (see the Best Buy Guide for more details).

Those of you lucky enough to live in an NTL area can still get free installation for both the 600kb (£24.99 a month) and 1Mb (£34.99 a month) cable modem services. Telewest is offering half price installation.

How can I switch ISPs?
Most pay-as-you-go services don’t have a minimum contract term, so you can simply stop using them and start using another one when you like. You should be able to install more than one service on your computer (see ‘Is it possible to use more than one ISP?’), but you might want to delete the settings of the ISPs you don’t intend to use again to clear space on your hard drive. Some subscription ISPs have a minimum contract term from one to 12 months, so you’ll be committed to paying for the service for that period and free to switch to another service once it’s up.

Is it possible to use more than one ISP?
Installing more than one ISP is worthwhile if you want to switch to another ISP when the one you’re using is busy or slow. It shouldn’t be a problem to do this, as Microsoft Windows Dial-Up Networking (the software that allows you to install an ISP) should be able to cope with more than one. Problems are only likely to occur with a specialist ISP that doesn’t use dial-up networking, such as AOL. But bear in mind that because some ISPs allow you to access your email account only when you’ve dialled into their service, you may not be able to access your email account with one ISP via another. If this causes problems, contact either of your ISPs’ helpline.

My ISP has increased its charges – are they allowed to do this?
Most contracts allow ISPs to increase prices, although there’s often a clause to say they have to let you know in advance. If you think your ISP is in breach of contract, complain to it directly and contact your local trading standards. If you’re not satisfied with the response, you may be able to take the matter to the telecommunications ombudsman (otelo), or theInternet Service Providers Association (ISPA), if your ISP is a member. However, if they haven’t broken the terms of their contract, your only option is to vote with your feet, and switch to a different ISP.

How can I find out more about the unique content that different ISPs offer?
The ISP will provide this information on its public website. Very few ISPs offer unique content, although AOL is an example of an ISP that does.

I’ve been told that I can’t get broadband because my telephone exchange hasn’t been set up for it. What can I do?
You may be able to get broadband via cable, if you live in an area that has cable. Alternatively, you could use satellite broadband.

BT runs a web-based registration scheme for people who can’t get ADSL, but would like it. It has set trigger levels of users for some of its exchanges. When enough users register their interest, it converts the exchange. Visit http://www.bt.com/broadband to find out what’s happening in your area.

What are the ‘contention ratios’ I see mentioned in information about broadband providers?
The contention ratio is the maximum number of people an ISP will allow to share a connection at the same time. The higher the contention ratio, the more the number of people that could be connected – and the slower your download speeds. Residential services are most commonly capped at 50:1, which means that you’ll never share a connection with more than 50 other people.

Is all the hype about the benefits of broadband true?
The speeds quoted by ISPs offering broadband connections are maximum speeds, and will be affected by the number of people using the same connection at the same time. At the moment services offer download speeds of up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps), but you’re unlikely to experience that speed in reality. Many broadband providers offer an unmetered service, but some providers might limit the amount of internet data you can download. You can use broadband for streamed video and online gaming, but many of us will continue using the internet as we do now, just surf more quickly.

What should I do to protect myself from computer viruses?
The biggest risk of being online comes from files that you download, which could contain computer viruses. So it’s really important that you protect yourself from these threats by installing anti-virus software on your computer and making sure you update it regularly. You should also look for an ISP that offers security features, such as spam filters. Find out more about online security here.

How did you decide which ISPs to test?
We’ve chosen a selection of both subscription and pay-as-you-go dial-up services to test. We’ve included all of the big name ISPs as well as a range of smaller services to see how they compare.

How do your tests work?
We’ve designed our own software to test ISPs in a way that replicates real-life usage as much as possible. Our software dials up 15 preselected global websites using each ISP and measures how long it takes to download a pre-nominated file from each of them. We also measure the time taken to upload a file to the internet and record any difficulty accessing the service or dropped connections once online. We testeach service over a thousand times each month, so that we can be sure that our results are accurate and reliable.

Which ISPs offer good customer service?
Unfortunately our tests only measure speed and reliability, so we can’t tell you which ISPs will bill you accurately or answer your queries swiftly and helpfully. However, we will be reporting on these aspects of ISPs’ service soon. In the meantime, use the internet to search for sites that review ISPs.

Why haven’t you tested broadband services?
As part of our performance tests we tested two broadband services, BT Openworld Broadband and Telewest Blueyonder 512Kbps, to provide a benchmark for the dial-up services. As expected, both services were about 10 times faster than the dial-up ISPs, although at about 340Kbps this is still a fair bit slower than the maximum speeds quoted by each ISP. Using a broadband service to download a 750Kb file would take just 20 seconds, as opposed to around 3 minutes via a dial-up connection. At these speeds differences between individual ISPs are likely to be undetectable to the end user. This means that other aspects of service, such as the quality of technical support, are more important. That’s why we’ll be featuring broadband providers in our report on ISPs’ customer service and support next year.