Internet providers are companies who supply internet connections to consumers and businesses. They are usually referred to as Internet Service Providers or ISPs. In such a competitive market, it pays for ISPs to be flexible. Most offer several types of broadband and various bundles for each.
Bundles
Broadband bundles are packages that offer broadband along with other utilities such as digital TV, mobile and home phone. Here are some of the leading suppliers of broadband bundle deals:
- BT - Great broadband, digital TV and home phone packages.
- TalkTalk - Good value international calling deals and excellent broadband service mark TalkTalk out as one of the UK's best providers.
- Virgin Media - Offers excellent value quad-packages i.e. those that include broadband, digital TV, home and mobile phone in one bundle. Its flagship fibre broadband products are the fastest around.
- Sky - Premium TV, including Premiership football and box office movies, makes Sky broadband TV packages a brilliant option for sports and film fans.
Home
The most common type of broadband, home broadband packages are offered by nearly all ISPs.
- O2 - Straightforward, easy to understand broadband packages make O2 a popular choice for those looking to sign up to broadband packages.
- BT - The best-known Internet provider in the UK. BT offers great deals and excellent devices such as the HomeHub router.
- TalkTalk - Famous for excellent home phone and broadband deals, TalkTalk has since expanded into TV. But its two play offers are still among the best value around.
Cable
Cable broadband is the newest, fastest and most reliable type of home connection, with download speeds of up to 100Mb. Or 120Mb if you live in area where Virgin Media has carried out its network upgrade.
- Virgin Media – currently offering the fastest cable package in the UK, alongside television and call deals.
- BT - The best-known internet provider in the UK, BT offers a 76Mb cable broadband package with lots of great deals on home phone calls and TV. BT also offers the BT HomeHub router free with its packages.
O2, Sky, EE and a range of other providers have launched fibre products of their own. However, because these use BT's fibre infrastructure they offer identical top speeds of up to 76Mb.
Mobile
Mobile Broadband is portable broadband for those on the go. Whether it's 3G or 4G that you're using, mobile broadband is accessed by plugging a mobile dongle/modem into the USB port of your PC or laptop. Once inserted, broadband connectivity is accessible in any area where there is mobile phone coverage.
Lots of internet providers now offer 3G mobile alternatives to their packages, with more set to move into 4G in the near future. Click here to compare mobile internet providers.
- Vodafone - Offering both business and consumer packages, Vodafone is among the UK's most popular mobile broadband internet providers.
- Three - With mobile broadband contract deals starting at less than £10 month, this mobile broadband internet provider offers great value for money.
- T-Mobile - T-Mobile mobile broadband customers can expect speeds of up 21Mb.
- Orange - Orange's mobile broadband business has now been subsumed under the EE banner. Find out more about EE below.
- O2 - O2 is famed for its keenly priced dongle offers and brilliant membership schemes and freebies.
- EE - The sole UK 4G provider. EE's 4G service is reputed to be up to five times faster than the 3G average.
Click here to compare mobile broadband providers.
